Moonlit Shadows
by funkytoes
Summary: Astrid has a complicated history with vampires. A Hunter, she's trained from a young age to kill them. The chance to take down Hiccup Haddock, a vampire heir? She doesn't hesitate. But when faced with the task, she finds him to be entirely different from what she expected, and decides to protect him from the people who trained her to kill him. [Vampire AU Hiccstrid Modern]
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Kid," Reeves stood at the other end of the room, silhouetted within the frame of the door. He stepped into the room, his boots barely making a sound.

"Reeves," she said, sitting up straighter. He sat on one of the few chairs in her room—a hotel room, grimy and dark and uninviting. The opposite of a home. Hunters never stayed in one place too long. After a moment of neither of them speaking, she continued her task of cleaning her firearm, always keeping Reeves in her peripheral vision.

Outside the heavens poured, hitting the dirty window with wind and rain, causing abstract paintings to dance across the floor and walls to nature's music outside.

"I've got a job for you," he said, finally breaking the silence between them.

She glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes, keeping her head down and focused on her task.

"A big one," he said.

She turned her head upwards, narrowing her eyes. "Why me?" she asked. "Who's the mark?"

"One of the Haddock Clan," Reeves answered.

Astrid's cloth stilled for a moment, her gaze intense. For a moment, she felt her heart quicken, blood pulsing slightly faster than normal. She quickly calmed her heartrate, berating herself for the foolish action. "And you want me to go after it?" she asked, not letting her excitement—and hope—enter her voice. The last thing she needed was Reeves thinking she owed him.

Reeves leaned back in the chair. "It's the heir," he said quietly. " _Hiccup Haddock the Third_. Son of Stoick the Vast himself." He leaned forward now, leather gloved hand leaning on a bandaged knee. "Think of _that_ , Astrid. Think what it'd be like to deliver a blow like _that."_

"It'd be pretty great," she said without much gusto, not revealing the many different options she was going through in her mind. Deciding the most _painful_ way to kill this vampire.

The only question that remained was, why Reeves came to _her_ for it. She knew the answer to that already. He wanted her to owe him. He knew Haddock's whereabouts. He knew how to find him and how to kill him. He won't give her that information without a price.

That was hunter's code.

"What do you want?" she said, putting down the piece of her firearm she had been cleaning, and giving Reeves a straight look.

Reeves leaned back in his seat, looking slightly smug. "So you want the job?" he asked.

" _Reeves."_

"Alright," he put his hands up. "You've got it. And as for what I want—well, that can come at a later time. Let's just say you owe me, Kid. You owe me _big._ And when it's time to cash in, you'll know."

She didn't like the sound of that. But this was too good an opportunity to pass up. She would not miss this, no matter the price.

"He's right here in town," Reeves said. "Don't know what he's doing here—none of his compadres are here, as far as I can tell. I wouldn't even have caught word—if not for…." He trailed off for a moment, searching for right words. "Word on the street," he finished finally, folding his hands over his stomach, seemingly to lounge farther back in the seat.

She finally nodded. "I'll take whatever price you throw at me," she said, knowing, whatever that might be, it would be worth it.

"Good," he said. "He's at _L'hôtel bleu_. Room 25C. Kanata and I will go as backup."

"I don't _need_ backup," she said, her voice biting.

" _Kid,"_ he put his hands up. "This is one of the Haddocks—they're _old_ school. Rumor has it they date back to the _Viking Age._ You don't want to fuck around with them."

"Fine," she said, beginning to assemble her firearm. "But you're staying out of the building. I'll let you know on the radio if I need you."

"If you live long enough for that," he said, standing up slowly. "Well, when do you want to head out?"

"As soon as I got my gear on," she said.

"See you downstairs, then," Reeves said, turning and walking out of the room. She watched him go, looking at the old door.

It struck her as odd that Reeves would come to _her_ with this. Hunters were not sentimental, not about other people, and certainly not about other hunters. He could have gone to _anyone_ with this information. Anyone would have given their good leg to get a chance to take down someone from the Haddock Clan.

But he came to _her_. Whatever he wants from her, it must be big.

She got up from the bed and set to assembling her gear. This was a chance in a lifetime. What she had been trained for since she was just a child. Since that day of blood and fire and death.

She would kill Hiccup Haddock the Third, and the Haddocks would finally know what it feels like to lose something.

And then she'd come for the rest of them.

So they'd lose _everything._

* * *

The suppressor was on—she didn't want any unnecessary attention from the other hotel patrons and staff. She pulled herself onto the grated floor of the fire escape, looking inside. It was an odd place for a vampire to sleep. Often, especially those vampires of old blood—and the Haddocks were _old_ blood—stayed in extravagant places. While not as bad as her own current sleeping place, this place was just… _average._ She leaned against the outer wall of the hotel, clicking on the heat sensors on her goggles.

There were two beings inside the room. One was definitely a vampire. She could tell by the heat signatures that were too low to be a fully living being. The other was much smaller, and also, oddly enough, had similar heat signatures. Was it an animal? She heard of the older generations being able to create 'familiars' of sorts. That might make this more difficult.

She contemplated signaling Reeves and Kanata to come with her during the initial assault—but decided she would risk it. This was _her_ revenge. She wasn't going to share its sweet taste with those two assholes.

Vampires of a certain age and pedigree were not of the same stock that she was used to hunting. Usually, newer vampires were slower, not as intelligent, and not as skilled or strong as their older counterparts. It made them easier to hunt. Rumor had it this particular vampire dated back as far as his family did—she had no idea what she was up against. She had no idea if she would even survive.

She cleared her mind of those thoughts, for it made her heartrate quicken slightly—a mistake, when hunting those who feed on blood. She would not risk opening the window—vampires generally had heightened hearing and senses. She didn't want to give him a head start to attack her. He might already know she was there.

As if in response to her thoughts, a light turned on in the room, and she flattened herself against the wall, gripping her guns tighter. It was now or never—he _must_ know she was here. Better get it over with before she loses every upper hand at her disposal.

She thrust herself away from the wall, turning to face the window, and shot the glass—three times. When a large enough hole was created, she jumped through, her thick leather coat and gloves and pants keeping the glass from cutting her. Her face received a few cuts, though— _mistake_ , she thought to herself, as she landed with a roll and stood quickly, guns at the ready. _He might be hungry._

Suddenly something flew towards her—and at first she thought it was a bat—but realized it was something else. Bat-like in appearance but with four legs and two wings, instead of _two_ legs and two clawed wings. She shot wildly, completely taken aback by the sudden, and unpredictable, attack of the creature flying about her head. She heard the creature give a small, shrill cry, though she knew it was just the barrel of her gun that hit it, not a bullet, before crashing into a wall, and landing on the ground. She stared at it. Black—it looked bat-like enough. And yet she could not quite believe that it _was_ a bat—

She sensed movement on the other side of the room, and quickly berated herself for falling for what was obviously a distraction tactic. She lifted her arms up, pointing in the direction of the movement. In her desperate attempt to get the small creature away, she had shot out the light, sending everything into darkness. The only light was the moon, and even then, it was hidden by stormy clouds much of the time.

With her heat sensors, she could see the vampire— _Haddock—_ standing in the corner, frozen. Why? She thought to herself. Why was he not moving? Why was he just… _cowering?_

"Come out!" she said, firing a shot.

The vampire instantaneously left her heat vision—and reappeared on the opposite wall. He avoided her attack—easily, but he still was not attacking. He could seemingly easily outrun bullets—she holstered her guns quickly and drew out her hunting knife. She ran towards the vampire, and spun when he tried out maneuver around her.

He gave out a yelp as she attempted—and missed—to slash at him.

"Hold on—" a slightly nasal-intoned voice said, as the vampire backed away from her. "Why don't you—try to—just—put the knife— _down?"_

She paused. He was illuminated in the moonlight streaming in through the windows. From here, she could see him clearly. He was tall, taller than her by a good few inches. He had messy auburn hair, a severely freckled face, and was wearing a green sweatshirt and brown pants. His eyes, though, were what were the most startling. Bright green and almost seeming to glow in the moonlight. His hands were up in a surrender position, a pleading look on his face. "Maybe we can just… _talk it out?"_ he suggested, with a hopeful half smile.

Her arms lowered slightly, before she raised them again. "I won't fall for that."

"Fall for… what?" he looked confused.

"I know what you're trying to do," she said. "You're trying to distract me."

"I'm—I'm really not— _look,_ I don't really feel like dying tonight and I _really_ don't feel like hurting you, but—"

"Don't be ridiculous," she interrupted.

"What?"

"You're…" she trailed off. "You're a _vampire."_

She reached up and pressed the control, turning off her heat vision so she could better see his face. She pushed up her goggles. He seemed genuine.

"We're not _all_ murderous monsters," he said, and from the tone in his voice, Astrid knew this was a sore subject for him.

"In my experience," Astrid said, reaching down and taking one of her guns from its holster. "Anything that kills _people_ for its food is a monster."

" _I_ don't kill people for food," the vampire said, "Or at all."

"I highly doubt that," she answered.

"It's true—it's true!" he said, taking a hasty step away from her as she raised her gun and pointed it at his chest. "I only drink animal blood—and even then only when I have to."

She narrowed her eyes, suspicious.

"I'm telling the truth—in fact, I'm _here,_ because I'm trying to get _away_ from _that_ kind of vampire," he said, his hands pointing wildly at nothing in particular as he spoke.

"What, your family?" she scoffed.

"Not my family," the vampire said. "Some others. Not all vampires get along. I happen to have a price on my head."

She allowed herself a glance around the room, realizing that the vampire might have a point. This was not the typical place a vampire stayed the night, if they could help it. And she heard that the vampire community were often at odds with each other. "What did you do?"

"I…" he took a small breath, "I let someone's prey go—helped her escape. Anyway, it turned out to be this 'big deal' and now a lot of people want me dead."

She raised her eyebrows, training her gun on him again. His hands quivered before her, and he looked… _frightened._ She realized, with a shock, that he truly had no intentions of hurting her. And he could, easily, especially with her guard down like this.

"I… I won't hurt you," he said, as if reading her thoughts— _maybe he could,_ she thought. "I swear, I just want to stay alive."

Something shuffled a little ways off, and the small creature walked into the moonlight. From here, she could see it was certainly _not_ a bat. "What is that thing?" she asked.

"Toothless," he said. "My familiar."

"So that's true? The whole… familiar thing?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's true," he said, as he picked up the small creature. He walked over with deliberate slowness and sat down on the bed. "You won't kill me?"

She kept her gun trained on him, before lowering it reluctantly.

"I could use someone to talk to, to be honest," he said.

Her arm dropped to her side in shock, before she very slowly holstered her weapon for a second time. She sheathed her knife, and stood waiting, unsure and unbelieving of how she got herself into this mess. This was supposed to be her dream come true. Her chance at revenge. Her chance to make a name for herself in her community. Instead she suddenly found herself acting the therapist for a _vampire._

"I wouldn't expect a human to understand," the vampire said, "But there are rules that vampires have to adhere to. Rules that have no words or translations. Anyway, I broke a few of those rules—when I let someone's prey go. He was going to do terrible things to her, and when he was done, he was going to turn her. I couldn't… I couldn't let him do that. So I helped her escape."

"Then why isn't she here now?" Astrid asked.

"She died," the vampire shrugged, although he looked tormented over this fact for a moment. "She was killed easily—a downfall of being human. I escaped, but it was too dangerous for me to go home. So I've been traveling around—trying not to get caught by the vampires tracking me. Or the vampire _hunters_ tracking me," he nodded in her direction.

"I'm…" Astrid began, before shuffling on her feet uncomfortably. The crowd she generally hung around were not ones of sweet words and comforts. "I'm sorry for your loss."

He shrugged. "I didn't actually know her that well," he said. "I just… couldn't stand to see anyone put through all that."

"Still," she said, walking over and sitting beside him. "It must be…"

She stopped herself, wondering why she was _comforting_ him. Him, a _vampire._ She should kill him while she had the chance. If she were any other hunter, she would have. But there was something that stopped her. Something that kept her from grabbing her gun and pulling the trigger.

He was so different from what she expected. So different from any other vampire she had ever come across or heard about. He was almost human, in a way. He had… _compassion._

Her radio buzzed in her ear, and she heard Reeves say over the connection, _"You okay, Kid? It's kind of silent up there. The coppers are gonna' show up any minute after the racket you made a little while ago."_

The vampire glanced at her. "Those your hunter friends?"

She scowled, deciding against answering Reeves. "Yeah," she told the vampire seated next to her. "And if I don't kill you they'll come up here and kill you themselves."

The vampire looked startled at this, looking away quickly, before he said, tentatively, "Uh… why?"

"Cause you're a vampire," she said, standing, "And because every hunter has a bone to pick with your clan."

"I don't see how that has anything to do _me,"_ he said. Something flitted across the moon, quickly and silently. He stood up with a speed and grace she would never be capable of. "They're here," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She glanced out the window, pulling down her goggles and activating the heat sensors. She could see three low heat bodies outside, on the rooftops. "Shit," she said, fingers inching for her guns. She should inform Reeves and Kanata that there were more vampires outside. There was no way she would survive an attack from _four._ She glanced at the vampire before her, whose face had somehow managed to pale further than its already pasty complexion. He looked absolutely terrified. _Three_ vampires, she thought. And she didn't think Haddock would be very helpful at defending against them.

She opened the radio link, "Three vampires, Reeves, to your four, six and eight o'clock."

" _What?"_ came Reeves' voice, and then after a moment, _"Shit. Alright. I think Kanata and I can handle things out here. When you take care of the Haddock, come back us up."_

"You got it," she said, and the link between them was closed. She pushed up her goggles.

She looked at the vampire. He was gazing at her with a slightly petrified look. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked.

She realized she stood at a crossroads. She glanced out the window, to the dimly lit buildings outside, and heard gunshots as Reeves and Kanata began to engage the vampires.

And she realized there were no crossroads. She had already decided which road she was going to take. The moment the vampire had opened up to her. She grabbed the small creature— _Toothless—_ and shoved him into Hiccup's arms. "I'm going to get you out of here," she told Hiccup, pulling down her goggles and grabbing his arm, getting to the door quickly and opening it, leading them down the hall as fast as she could run.

* * *

 **Hi! This is a story that is being posted on AO 3, but I decided to cross post it here as well. I'll be posting the first three chapters (the chapters already posted to the internet as of this chapter's posting here) and then will resume an update schedule that matches the archive.**

 **Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think, and if you'd like to see more :)**


	2. Chapter 2

She glanced at Hiccup and Toothless. They sat in a corner on the ground, Toothless on Hiccup's lap. From here she could see it looked almost like a dragon—or some scaly kind of cat, with _wings_. She lifted up the heavy doors of the hatch, peering out onto the still empty street. It was easier to see now—dawn had almost arrived. "Sun," she said quietly, breaking the silence. "Will it burn you?"

"Uh—no," Hiccup said. "I mean, it's not fun and I burn—like a sunburn—really easily, but it won't kill me."

"Good," she said. "We're going to get out of here once people start getting to their shops."

"Why?"

"Witnesses," Astrid replied. "I can't speak for vampires, but the hunters won't make a move while there are other humans around. They might get hurt—or might see something they shouldn't have."

"Oh…" Hiccup said, and was silent for a short moment. "Why are you helping me?" he finally asked.

She looked back at him, to see that his eyes were earnestly looking for an answer. "Because," she said, "You're different."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "You're a vampire hunter, right?" he asked. "You've killed vampires before, haven't you?"

"Yeah," she said. "I've killed vampires before." She looked at the crack between the two hatch doors, where a sliver of sunlight could be seen. She glanced at Hiccup again, to see him gazing at her warily. "What?"

"It's just… I've never met a vampire hunter before," he said. "Not like this."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You guys are kind of… _our_ bad guys," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

She couldn't help but feel somewhat insulted by this. "Well _you're_ everyone else's bad guy," she retorted, then muttered, "Everyone on the God damn planet."

Hiccup shuffled awkwardly, and she could tell he heard her clearly. _Right,_ she thought. _Vampire. Exceptional hearing._ She glanced at him again, to see him gazing at her, a troubled and strained look on his face. "What?" she asked sharply. "Did I hurt your feelings or something?"

"No…" he said slowly, "It's just… your cheek," he pointed a hand in her direction. She touched her cheek and drew her hand down. There was blood on the finger of her glove.

"Oh," Astrid said, gazing at it, before looking up at him, feeling suddenly apprehensive, and, perhaps, a little frightened. She could feel her heartrate speed up at what the implications of blood near a vampire meant.

At the sound of her heart beating faster, Hiccup shuffled slightly, looking away quickly and biting down on his bottom lip slightly, concentrating on the wall next to him. He seemed to be holding his breath.

"Sorry," she said, closing her eyes, against her better judgement, and steadying her breathing and heart. After a moment, she was nearly back to normal. She opened her eyes, to see Hiccup still studying the wall with upmost intensity. "Can't help it," she said. "Expected you to jump my neck or something."

Hiccup looked at her, a strange expression on his face. He looked… taken aback. Angry almost. As if she had said something unforgiveable to him. "I wouldn't—" he began. "Look, I'm not going to… I won't…" he heaved a sigh, his head falling into his hands, hiding his face from her. "I won't hurt you, okay?"

"Okay," she said, not quite believing him.

"What's your name?" he asked, his head leaving his hands as he looked up at her.

"Astrid," she answered.

"What's your last name?"

"Hofferson." She glanced at him, "Does that sound familiar?"

"No, why?" he asked.

Out of all the things he had said or done that evening, that irritated her the most. She felt her anger rising, and Hiccup recoiled from her slightly, clearly sensing the rise in her blood pressure.

"Alright, Hiccup," she said, "I hear some people outside. We're going to get out of here—and we're going to head to my hotel room."

"What about mine?" Hiccup asked.

She gave him a hard look. "Do you have anything you truly need there?" she asked. "The vampires tracking you will no doubt be searching the place. I doubt we'll get in there in one piece."

"I just have clothes," he said, glancing down at himself.

"You can buy new ones," she said. "My hotel room has all the stuff we need to get you out of town."

"Where am I going to go?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Where do you want to go?" She paused, "Where does your family live?"

His mouth set into a thin line. "I'm not going there," he said resolutely. "My family will be in danger. The people—the vampires chasing me… they'll think my family was involved. I've got to keep them out of it."

" _Alright,"_ she said, irritated. "Then where _would_ you like to go?"

He thought for a short while, before he said, "I have a friend in Las Vegas. At least, I think she's in Las Vegas right now. She could be in Russia—or Canada. She kind of moves around a lot."

"A vampire?" Astrid asked.

He nodded. "She'll help me," he said.

She sighed. She could not believe this is what this night was turning into. She was _helping_ a _vampire_. A vampire who was the heir to the dynasty that was responsible for her _living this kind of life_ to begin with. "Alright," she said, "Let's get to Las Vegas."

"There are other people who will help me, nearby there," he said. "Members of my clan."

"You _just_ said you don't want your family involved—" she began, standing up as she prepared to lift up the hatch doors.

"Not my _family_ , but my clan consists of more than just the people I'm biologically related to _,"_ Hiccup said. "Anyway, Fishlegs is in Los Angeles… but I'm sure he'll help."

"Who is… never mind," she shook her head, lifting up the hatch doors and peering out onto the street. There were a few passersby's, and many of the shops were now occupied by employees. "Alright," she said, opening it further. "Let's go, Mr. Vampire."

"Hiccup," he corrected, stuffing Toothless into his sweatshirt and walking up the concrete steps to the street above. She walked after him, closing the door behind him.

"We've got to go quickly," she said. "People are gonna' notice when they see someone with as many weapons as I do walking around. If anyone looks at us funny, just say something about cosplay."

"Right," Hiccup said, looking around nervously, squinting, though it was still not very bright out yet.

She could tell what he meant. The sunlight did little to better his appearance. He looked almost sallow skinned, dark circles under his eyes that didn't notice in the dark, eyes glossy and squinting, unable to adjust properly to the sunlight. He looked like some nerd who spent most of his time in a dark room in front of a screen. Who happened to have the flu.

"Come on," she said, nodding. "My hotel is three blocks from here. We don't have much time before Reeves and Kanata get there to see if I'm there. They might be there already."

"Who are Reeves and Kanata? Your friends from last night?" he asked, as they walked quickly down the still mostly empty street.

"They're not my _friends,"_ she said. Hunters didn't _make_ friends with each other. Allies, sure, but not _friends._ That insinuated _trust._

"But they're hunters?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're hunters. And they'll kill you first chance they get—without blinking. And if I'm in their line of fire, they'll have no problem firing anyway."

"Sounds nice," Hiccup muttered. "It's a wonder you turned out to be the emotionally abundant person you are."

She sent him a withering glare, before they turned up a street. It would take slightly longer to get there on this route—but more people were showing up, and she was nervous that someone would alert the police. Hiccup was no problem—most people would think he was just some awkward college student. _She_ , on the other hand, looked like some kind of mercenary. The only solace she had was that she almost looked _too_ much like a mercenary. She almost doubted that anyone _would_ think she was anything other than a cosplayer.

They hadn't had much time to get to know each other. It had been less than an hour since they left Hiccup's hotel room. They had made a lot of distance, taking advantage of the others being distracted, before hiding in the basement stairwell of an old building, waiting until it was safer to move about. She didn't know how many vampires were after Hiccup, but she did know vampires tended to do most of their hunting at night. They didn't like the sun, even if it didn't kill them.

"Here," she nodded to a building up ahead.

" _That's_ where you're staying?" he asked, staring at the old, shabby building in horror.

She ignored him, leading him around to the back. "While there aren't any other hunters staying here—someone might recognize you," she said, "We'll use the fire escape."

"Okay," Hiccup said, as she pulled down the ladder.

"Behind you," she said, bowing mockingly.

He climbed up quickly, and she followed, looking around carefully as she ascended.

When they reached her landing, she flattened herself against the wall, peering into the window. It didn't seem like there was anyone inside. She pried the window open, almost thankful for the first time that the locks in the building were as shabby as the building itself, and slipped inside. She turned around to instruct Hiccup to do the same, but he was no longer on the landing. "Hiccup?" she asked, feeling panic and anger rising up in her.

"Calm down, I'm over here," she heard him say from behind her.

She turned quickly, seeing him sitting awkwardly on her bed. She would have asked him how he got there so fast and quietly, but the answer was already abundantly clear. He was a vampire, even if he defied the stereotypes that generally accompanied the species. "Hiccup, just… stay there," she said. "I'll get what we need."

She got out a duffle bag and began packing. Firearms, ammo, supplies to care for said items, various other kinds of weapons, first aid supplies, and some food and water bottles. She didn't have a lot of the latter two, and reminded herself to pick up some more. Hiccup looked anemic enough, they didn't need _her_ to look like a weak, pasty nerd as well. She walked over to the bookcase, sliding it away from the wall. She reached down and picked up a small package, slipping it into a breast pocket inside her jacket. "Cash," she told Hiccup. "We'll need it if we're going to get out of the city.

"Right," Hiccup said, still sitting there awkwardly. He was looking around with a disgusted look on his face. "This is really where you were staying?"

"What about it?" she asked, as she got a backpack and threw it at him. "For Toothless," she said, "And anything else you may need. She had her own backpack for her own stuff.

"It's just… not very homey," he said.

"Well, when you don't _have_ a home, this is as good as it gets," she answered with deliberate calmness.

He looked startled at this, and opened his mouth, but was cut off when they heard the sharp rattle of a fist against wood. They both looked at the door. Astrid motioned for Hiccup to stand with Toothless on the other side of the room, where he would be hidden from view from anyone on the other side of the door.

She opened it a crack.

Reeves glared back at her. One eye was fused shut, bulbous and discolored. He had multiple gouges on his face, not to mention a clearly broken nose and hand. He probably had a few busted ribs too.

"Reeves," she said evenly, keeping the door mostly closed.

"Where did you run off to?" Reeves asked. "Kanata and I were barely able to keep off the damn blood suckers. Only managed to kill two." He narrowed his one good eye. "Expected you to show up. When you didn't, we thought the worst happened. Went up to the hotel room. Found you gone. No trace of the Haddock either."

He looked her up and down. "You don't look like you were eaten."

"I wasn't," she said. "I was barely able to get away. I don't know where the vampire went."

"Huh," he said, narrowing his eye again. She heard his teeth grind for a moment, a shiver running up her spine at the painful sound. "Well," he said, "I hope you ain't… doing anything _stupid,_ girl. I'll go wait downstairs with Kanata—join us and we'll talk about how to get the last two vampires."

"Great," she said, sending him a strained smile. He was wearing his goggles—which meant he was just a quick adjustment and button away from using his heat sensor. If he used it, he would be able to tell without any doubt that one of the remaining two vampires was inside her room at that very moment. She closed the door, locking it and turning, motioning for Hiccup to get to the window.

" _Shit!"_ she heard from outside the door.

"Run!" she shouted, and Hiccup sprang for the window as splinters hit her back, bullets barely missing her as they streamed through the door. She grabbed her backpack, slung it over her shoulders, and grabbed the duffle bag.

She broke into a run for the window, wincing and grunting as she felt a pressure explode in her leg. After a few steps, she felt a searing pain, realizing a bullet had grazed her thigh. Hiccup was out on the ledge outside, and grabbed her arms, pulling her through. She could hear Reeves shouting for Kanata.

"Go, go!" she yelled, pointing downwards, limping towards the ladder. Hiccup looked helplessly down the length they had to go till they reached the ground, before swallowing and grabbing her, hoisting her into his arms and leaping easily over the railing.

She let out a yelp against her will, as they landed hard on the ground. He put her down, and for a moment she stood shakily. "Lean on me," he ordered.

Together, they ran out of the alley.

As they ran up a street, heading for the train station, she realized her leg needed medical attention, _immediately_. They couldn't waste time going to a hospital or care center. She would have to deal with it on the train. Luckily the leather of her pants seemed to be keeping most of the bleeding contained.

"The bus!" she said, pointing. She dug in her pocket for a couple of ones, as they stopped before the bus stop just as the bus itself pulled up. "Get on," she ordered, although such an order was unnecessary. Hiccup needed no prompting. With his arm around her waist, they walked up the steps into the bus.

A testament to the amount of blood this driver must have seen during his career, he didn't bat an eye at the sight of them. She handed him their fare, and she and Hiccup walked over to an empty spot. He grabbed one of the handgrips, and she grabbed a railing, letting go of him and dropping the duffle bag to the ground.

"There are some seats free," he suggested, but she shook her head.

She reached into her backpack and drew out a shirt, and quickly tied a tourniquet, Hiccup watching with wide eyes, and she was thankful that Old Man Naqu had taught her how to do one herself. The bus lurched into motion, and she crashed into him, his free hand steadying her, and she moved away, finding her balance again. She finished the tourniquet, knowing it was not quite tight enough, but also knowing that the wound was not as bad as it could be. The bullet grazed—or only went through the outer layer of her leg. Nothing major was hit. She was lucky.

Her leg did ache like a bitch, though the pain had numbed somewhat. She had to keep her weight off it, which made balancing difficult.

Luckily the train station was on this bus's route. She looked out the window at the back of the bus to see Reeves and Kanata running out of the hotel room. They didn't fire—they wouldn't risk that, and instead turned around and walked away. "We'll take the first train out of here—and then take a bus or train to Chicago," she said.

When Hiccup didn't reply, she looked up at him. He was staring at the ground, perplexed, a look of great concentration on his face.

"Did you hear me?" she asked.

"Yes," he said forcefully, though not angrily. His voice sounded more nasal than it usually did, as if he was speaking with his nose plugged.

"Are you alright?" she asked, frowning.

She could tell he was attempting to steady his breathing. The bus wasn't that crowded—she assumed it had to be her leg. "I'll take care of it on the train," she told him. "Just hold on until then."

He nodded mutely.

"We'll try to get an Amtrak directly to Chicago," she said.

He nodded again.

She sighed, wincing, reaching down and touching her leg, bringing up her hand. There was ample blood on her glove.

"Please—"

She looked up at him, startled at his strained, strangled voice.

"Please don't do that," he said, staring at her hand with a downright frightened look. "It's… really hard not to…" he looked away, swallowing, gripping the handgrip above him so tightly she heard a slight _crack_. Seems like he's stronger than she gave him credit for.

"Sorry," she muttered, wiping her fingers on her pants. "We'll be at the Amtrak station soon enough."

He nodded, his chest rising and falling erratically.

Was it really this difficult to be around blood? Or was it humans in general? It was a wonder _any_ vampires were functional beings.

The bus slowed, and she looked at digital yellow letters, as the words, 'John D. Dingell Transit Center' appeared.

"Come on," she picked up her duffle back and took a step, before wincing. Hiccup grabbed her arm, and together they got off the bus.

* * *

"The bathroom," she instructed, steering him away from the empty seats. He followed her without a word, and they squeezed into the small bathroom onboard the train. She dropped her backpack to the ground, and placed the duffle bag on the toilet seat.

Toothless peeked his head out from Hiccup's backpack, chirping slightly.

"What… what are we doing in here?" Hiccup asked.

"We've got to dress my wound," she said. "I'll pass out if I keep bleeding."

"Ah—oh," he said, "um…' _we'_?"

"I got hit in the back," she said, taking out a small bottle of surgical spirits, salve, gauze, and surgical tape.

"Hold on!" Hiccup said, sounding the most panicked than he had so far since she met him. "You want _me_ to stitch you up?"

"I'll get stitched in Chicago," she said, assembling the items. "But I need you to clean it and dress it."

He was silent, and she turned to look at him. He was staring at her, open mouthed and horrified. "You… You do realize I'm a _vampire,_ don't you?" he said. "We _drink_ blood."

"I trust you can control yourself for twenty or so minutes," she said, slipping off her skirt. She watched him stare as she slipped down her pants, revealing panties, and, more importantly, a bloody rip in her back thigh.

"You're… putting a lot… of faith… in me," he managed, tearing his eyes away from the red mess to look at her face.

She wet some paper towels and began cleaning away the blood on her leg, dumping them in the trash. Hiccup took a sharp intake of breath, a coughed slightly.

When she had cleared away most of the blood, she instructed him to wash his hands and start working. "Clean it really good," she said. "If I get an infection we're pretty much fucked."

"Won't it hurt?" he asked.

She shrugged. "It'll hurt like a bitch—but not as much as an infection will."

She heard him gulp, and take some wet paper towels and pressed them against her thigh. When she ordered him to apply more pressure, she was suddenly thankful he _was_ a vampire. His ability to evenly apply strong amounts of pressure was astounding. After a few moments, he poured some of the spirits onto a sterile cloth from her duffle bag. He moved down closer her leg, his breathing coming in slow, deliberate breaths. She gritted her teeth and let out a sound a cross between a grunt and a groan as the cloth touched the wound. Hiccup almost moved away, but she instructed him to continue.

After a few moments, he said, a little breathlessly, "I'm done."

"Alright," she said, handing him the salve, gauze and surgical tape.

He knelt down, one hand gripping her thigh tightly, the other beginning to put the salve on the wound.

She was glad she needed to wait till they got to Chicago before getting stitches. Juan would have something strong for her to take for the pain. She could do without the nausea and dizziness she was currently experiencing though.

After a moment, Hiccup paused, and he took in a deep breath, a hand gripping her thigh so tight she almost cried out. She twisted her upper body around to peer down at him, and saw him staring at the wound with an intense gaze, some internal monologue racing through his mind. "Hiccup!" she said, breaking him out of his reverie. He quickly shook his head and continued, finishing it up. He put the gauze on and taped it shut.

She threw away anything they had touched or had blood on it, including her pants, and wiped up the floor as she watched him clean his hands. And cleaned them again. And again. And again.

He was cleaning them for the seventh time when she had gotten her tourniquet off and different pair of pants on, her stuff all packed up. "Let's go, Hiccup," she said, "We've got to hand in our tickets."

He nodded mutely, staring at his hands. There were no traces of her blood on his hands anymore, but she wondered if he could still smell it.

He picked up his backpack, Toothless making a whining noise as he closed it halfway and put it on, and followed her out of the bathroom.

A passenger was standing just outside, waiting to get into the bathroom, and Astrid gave her a wink, "Just got engaged—can't keep our hands off each other."

The woman, having waited longer than was usually precedent, rolled her eyes as she walked into the bathroom.

She and Hiccup quickly found seats, and the conductor came along and checked their tickets.

As the conductor left, she looked at Hiccup, on the seat before her, as he stared out the window, hand on his mouth. She could tell he was breathing in.

"Do you find my blood enticing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes, eyebrows quirking, annoyed. "That isn't funny," he said, bringing his hand away from his mouth and nose.

"Sorry," she shrugged, not sorry at all. "Are you hungry?"

He waited to answer, before shrugging as well. "Haven't eaten in a while," he said.

"Well, I can't fix that, I suppose," she said. "I'm going to go buy a sandwich from the café," she said, getting up. "Don't do anything stupid. Stay here, and if you sense any trouble, grab our stuff and meet me at the café."

He nodded, watching her as she limped away.

As she reached the door to their car, she glanced over her shoulder, looking across the seats to the back of Hiccup's head, and wondered why she was putting this much effort into helping him. A _vampire._

She was dead—she knew it. Reeves and Kanata would by now have told the other hunters of her defection. She was a traitor now.

There was no turning back.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Thanks so much for reading! If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear what you guys think of the chapter and story so far :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Does that taste good?"

She looked up to see Hiccup gazing at her—or rather, at her sandwich. She chewed and swallowed. "Want a bite?"

He shook his head.

"I've never known," she said, taking another bite and chewing, "Can your kind even _eat_ regular food?"

He shook his head again, and then, after a moment, amended, "I mean, I _can_ eat it… but it doesn't really taste like anything, and it doesn't give us any energy or sustenance… plus, we can't really digest it, so it usually makes us feel ill."

She raised her eyebrows. "That must suck."

He gave her a weird, wide-eyed look, before giving out an undignified snort, doubling over with laughter. She stared at him as he straightened, still laughing.

Like this, he seemed different. More vibrant, even in the sunlight pouring in from the window, and not as… deathly. She allowed herself a smile. Hiccup chortled to himself, settling into the back of his seat, and heaved a breath. "I got over it years ago," he said, finally. "Centuries, actually."

The smile fell away from her face, and she raised her eyebrows again. "How old _are_ you?"

She watched as his own fell away. "Too old," he said, with a decided frown.

"Is it true you're from the Viking Age?" she asked.

He gave her a rueful smile. "The end of it."

She leaned towards him suddenly, and he reeled farther back in his seat away from her. "Really?" she asked.

He nodded mutely.

"What's it like being that old?" was her next question.

"It… it's not really that great," he said, frowning. "Anyway," he said quickly, as she leaned back to a proper sitting position, "Are you okay? Your leg, I mean."

"Yeah, it should be fine," she said. "I bought some Advil at the café, and I just took an antibiotic… but I don't have much more of those so I'm going to need to get more, and as soon as we get to our destination I'll get stitched up."

"Oh, okay," he said. "What about—I grabbed you pretty hard… when I was cleaning you up." He looked miserable all of a sudden. "I may not look it, but I'm pretty strong. I know I must have hurt you."

She shrugged. "A nasty bruise is the least of the injuries I've procured over the years."

"Still," he said, looking ashen faced, more than usual. "I… I hope it doesn't… hurt too much."

She shrugged again.

It did hurt—but if she was honest, she was almost thankful for it. It deafened in a way the pain of the gunshot wound. It was easier to deal with the dull, throbbing pain of a bruise than it was the biting pain of a muscle tear, although the bruise did nothing to numb the burning, painful sensation traveling up and down her leg that she hoped would ebb by the time they got off the train. She wouldn't show pain in front of the vampire, however, no matter how trustworthy he was attempting to appear. She took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. "You said you drink animal blood most of the time—when was the last time you ate?"

"A month and half ago," he said. "My family usually lives in British Columbia—it was there that I last fed."

She paused before her next bite. "So that's why you were so… panicky before? Because you haven't eaten in a long time?"

"I was… _panicky,"_ he said slowly, "Because you were bleeding everywhere and I had to get close and _touch_ your blood." He paused as well, and said, slowly and carefully, "You have to realize what it's like, Astrid. It's… even for _me_ , after centuries of discipline, it's hard to… resist…" he took in another breath, before looking out the window, his hand covering his mouth. She wondered if he was breathing in the scent of her blood again. "You smell really good," he muttered, his cheeks and ears turning red.

She watched him with growing amusement and concern. "When was the last time you ate a human?"

His hand moved away from his mouth, turning to look at her with a startled and slightly horrified expression. " _What?!"_

She took another bite. "A human. When was the last time you preyed on a human and drained them of their blood and left them dead?"

He stared at her for a few moments, before saying, irritably, and seemed, if she wasn't mistaken, slightly hurt by her words, "Okay, look….first of all, I don't like words 'ate' and 'preyed on' when it comes to humans. Second, I wouldn't have to _kill_ a human to…" he trailed off, "Get energy or whatever… and third, not all vampires even _do_ that. I told you last night—or, this morning, whenever it was, that I only drink _animal blood."_

"Alright," she said, putting her hands up in defeat. "Sorry I hit a sore spot. I guess I'm just not used to your kind being so… _nice_ and _conscientious."_

"Maybe if you got to know us you'd think differently," Hiccup muttered, looking out the window again.

"You're saying you're _all_ just 'misunderstood'?" Astrid asked, raising a skeptical brow.

"No—just," he stopped himself. "Some of us are monsters, yeah. But those of us who are not suffer just as much because of them as humans do. So… just…" he twirled his hand in the air while he thought of his next words. "Be a little more open minded."

"Okay," she said, not quite honestly. She finished her sandwich, finished off the soda, and got up to dispose of the can and wrapper. When she got back, she drank some water, her third bottle since getting on the train, and leaned back in her seat, gazing outside, at the scenery whipping by too quickly for her eyes to properly focus on. She wondered if Hiccup was able to see the details that escaped her. She finally laid down on the seats, putting her head against her backpack, closing her eyes.

She knew she probably shouldn't sleep—not only because of her wound. She didn't know why she trusted Hiccup to behave himself while she got some rest. She didn't even know if vampires _slept._ They never seemed to, not at night, anyway. She supposed she didn't know a whole lot about them after all.

Maybe this was her chance to.

She snorted in indignation at that.

Her? Get to know a vampire?

Preposterous.

Exhausted from a sleepless and over exciting, and rather painful, night and morning, she found herself drifting off to sleep easily, the gentle rocking of the train a lullaby, a comforting feeling she had almost forgotten.

* * *

Someone was shaking her. She sat up, grabbing Hiccup's hand and twisting his arm.

"Hey!" he said, grabbing her wrist with his free hand quickly and with force, before letting go just as quickly. She quickly let go of his own.

"Sorry," she said. "Habit. Why'd you wake me?" she looked outside, to see that it was day. Looked to be around noon—or close to it.

"The conductor is going to bring a cart here soon," Hiccup said. "I thought you'd want to get lunch."

"Oh, right. Thanks," she said, peering out into the aisle. The conductor was only a few rows away from them. "Did you sleep at all?" she asked, sitting back normally.

"Just a little," he said. "We don't really… _sleep._ Not like you do. Except…" he colored slightly.

"Except what?" she asked.

"Sometimes… we can go into a deep sleep after…" he licked his lips, reddening more.

"What? Sex?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing.

He nodded mutely.

She stared at him, trying to figure out why the subject was so awkward for him, before her mouth fell open, a strangled laugh escaping. " _Please_ tell me you're not a _thousand_ year old virgin _."_

He glared at her. "I'm not," he said indignantly.

"Yeah you are," she said, crossing her arms and looking at him smugly, enjoying the opportunity to tease him, even if it was a little bit of a far reach. It made saving his life slightly more forgiving.

"I've had sex," he protested.

"How recently?"

"What does that have to do with it?" he demanded. "I've had sex before, I'm not a virgin. I've had sex a lot."

"Sounds like something a virgin would say."

"I'm not a virgin," he insisted adamantly.

"But you're a virgin at heart," she made a heart shape with her hands, giving him her most charming smile.

"Shut up," he muttered, glaring out the window as the conductor pushed the cart in front of their row.

She paid for another sandwich, as well as a bunch of other stuff—which she stuffed into her backpack for later. As she tore into her sandwich, she was aware of Hiccup gazing at her.

"What?" she asked, giving him a perplexed look.

"It's just… you looked so peaceful when you were sleeping," he said. "You looked… kind of…" his eyebrows furrowed, and she could have sworn his pale cheeks turned slightly pink. It was strange, seeing him blush. The blood rushed to his cheeks differently than it did with a human, making it seem much less natural and consistent.

"Are you hitting on me?" she asked, lowering her sandwich.

His eyes widened, and he stared at her as if he had just realized something terrible. "No," he said quickly.

"You were about to," she said.

"I wasn't."

"What were you going to say?" she asked, raising an eyebrow challengingly.

"I can call you pretty without hitting on you," he replied tightly.

"So you think I'm pretty," she said, both eyebrows reaching for her hairline now.

"Have you looked in a mirror?" he demanded, his voice mutually irritated and embarrassed. "Everyone on this train probably thinks you're pretty."

She raised her eyebrows further, a smile on her lips. And not the kind that would make him feel good. "You think I'm _pretty,"_ she said, drawing out the word.

He rolled his eyes. "For a _human_ ," he muttered.

"Fine, whatever," she said, taking another bite. "It's not like I care if a _thousand_ year-old virgin thinks I'm pretty."

"I'm not a virgin," he muttered. "I've just only ever had sex with _vampires."_

"No humans?" she asked.

"Never," he said resolutely.

She raised her eyebrows again. "Can't stand our smell?" she asked jokingly.

"It's not that," he said. "Actually, humans smell very nice. But for different reasons. It's just… for us… during sex… it's kind of like…" his hands moved in the air as he danced around the awkward conversation. "It's like… we get really hungry in a way? When we get… _aroused,"_ he paused, floundering.

"You drink blood when you have sex?" she asked, feeling slightly sick to her stomach.

"Yeah," he said quietly, embarrassed. "We can't really help it. It just… _happens._ Anyway, a lot of humans die from the experience. So I never have sex with humans." He glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes, before looking away.

 _He did find her pretty,_ she thought, not exactly finding the revelation comforting. She ate more of her sandwich. They'd reach Chicago soon. She needed energy. "Do you have an ID?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

"Good," she said, taking another bite.

"How are you going to get all your stuff onto a plane?" he asked her. "Through security, I mean?"

"We're taking a private charter," she said. "I have a friend in Chicago that will hook us up."

"Oh," Hiccup said, frowning. "Good."

She raised her eyebrows. "Why is that good?"

"I don't like planes," he said, shrugging. "Such a small, confined place with so many people? It's… hard to breathe."

"You have claustrophobia?" she asked.

"No, I have 'it's-been-a-long-time-since-i-ate-and-i-can-literally-feel-people's-blood-pulsing-in-the-air'," he answered tartly. "Even sitting here with not too many people around is difficult." He glanced at her, before looking away again. She wondered if he found _her_ tempting.

Toothless peeked his nose out from Hiccup's backpack, and Hiccup playfully 'bopped' his nose, sending the creature back deep within. "What is that?" she asked.

"Toothless is not a 'that'," Hiccup said. "Nor an 'it'. He's a _he_."

"Okay, what is _he_?" she corrected.

"A dragon," Hiccup said.

"A…" she laughed again.

"It's true," Hiccup said, grinning at her. "There were dragons, when I was a boy."

"Really?" she asked, skeptically.

" _It's true_ ," he said again, leaning back in his seat. "They're all gone now—not dead, I think, just… gone. And they're not like how you think of them. And rare even when I was human. He's not the same as he used to be, though."

"Why didn't he use fire on me this morning?" she asked.

"Doesn't have any," Hiccup said. "Lost that ages ago."

"Sucks for him," she replied.

"Yeah," Hiccup rubbed the backpack, and purring erupted from within, "But he's a great little guy."

"Luckily, for a private plane we don't need any paperwork for him," she said.

Hiccup nodded. "Hey…" he trailed off for a moment, before looking up at her, earnestly. "Thanks for… you know. Helping me."

She nodded. "Don't worry about it."

"No really," he said. "You could have just killed me. Multiple times. And yet you… you really put your neck out for me. You risked your life and you—"

"Really," she put her hands up to silence him. "It's okay, Hiccup. Once I get you to your friend in Las Vegas, I'll be on my way." And have to somehow manage to convince the other hunters that she was _not_ a traitor… and for them _not_ to kill her in deserter fashion.

Hiccup nodded, "Well, I'm thankful," he said. He yawned. "We get tired in sunlight," he explained. "I'm going to try to catch some z's." He settled down on the seats, holding his backpack in the concave of his chest, and she soon she saw his chest rise and fall—so shallow and yet at such long intervals that she hardly thought he was breathing at all.

In the sunlight, he looked like the average guy—well, not average. He looked a little _below_ average. He looked like he was recovering from a cold after studying in a dark room for a week straight with no sleep. No doubt his starvation had something to do with that as well.

She wondered what he was like when he had recently fed. And then, was there a difference between human and animal? She wondered if he would ever prey on a human, regardless of his convictions. Would he— _could_ he get so hungry that some primal instinct would overcome him and he'd attack someone? Attack her? He seemed to have no intentions of hurting her. In fact, he seemed more interested in being her friend. He seemed interested in her wellbeing.

She wondered what it would take, for him to attack her.

Deep down she knew it was inevitable. He was a vampire. She was a human. It was the natural order of the universe.

Which was why she kept a loaded gun in the holster under her skirt.

Just in case.

* * *

 **This chapter is short and without much action. A slight 'breather' you might say. I also thought it was important for Hiccup and Astrid to have a casual conversation… to lighten up their rather tense beginnings of a 'relationship', (and to allow them to become slightly more comfortable around each other). Although, clearly, their relationship needs work before** _ **trust**_ **and** _ **respect**_ **become factors.**

 **As always, I'm** _ **so**_ **thankful you've read this far. I'd love to hear what you thought of the chapter and think of the story so far :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **See you soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Hiccup hissed, as he stood a little ways behind her with their things. She could see his reflection in the car window—tense and apprehensive, looking every bit like a stay-at-home-nerd who got caught up in some nefarious plot by some more attention seeking 'cool kids'. Not that she had any experience with such a scenario, having been denied the pleasure of a typical upbringing.

She wondered what kind of upbringing Hiccup had. It was difficult to remember he was so very much older than her. No doubt his own upbringing was unlike anything she could imagine.

As the door unlocked, she opened it, and turned to flash him a winning smile, which he returned with a tense one of his own. "Do you want to get on that plane or not?"

"The alarm is going off," he pointed out, pointing a long, slender finger in the direction of the car.

"Don't worry," Astrid said, taking out her pocket knife and fumbling under the wheel. After a moment, she got access to the appropriate wires, and cut them. The alarm promptly turned off.

"We could have just taken a taxi," Hiccup said.

"A taxi driver can remember things," she replied, as if speaking to a small child. "A car owner whose car got jacked _won't._ And we can't risk being spotted until we're out of the area. Reeves might have figured out we came to Chicago—once we get to Nevada we'll be able to do what we want." She thrust her thumb aggressively over hers shoulder, "Get in. The other side," she said, interrupting his movements when he made a move towards her, "And I'll hot wire this piece of junk."

As Hiccup got in the passenger side, after placing the duffle bag and her backpack in the back seat, Astrid set to her task. "Why'd you chose a piece of junk?" he asked her.

"Any newer or nicer car would have a more elaborate alarm system," she said. "Can't risk the authorities getting a hold of us, can we? Feel like spending the night in jail?"

Not to mention neither of them had any real connections… No one to bail them out or send them legal aid. To be honest, she was not even sure what Hiccup would _do_ if he was in jail, even for just a night. Would such close proximity to other people cause him anxiety? Blood lust?

No, it was better to do this quietly and easily. This car may be a piece of junk, but at least she did not have to worry about them getting caught— _yet_.

The car's engine revved to life, and she closed her door, putting her seatbelt on as Hiccup did. She pulled out of the nearly empty parking lot, and they headed towards the highway. "My friend's runway is a little ways… it'll take about two hours to get there. An hour and a half if there's no traffic."

Hiccup nodded. "You're not very… I mean, you have no qualms, you know, _stealing_ stuff."

She shrugged. "When I was a kid, I was a straight laced, do-gooder, follow all the rules kind of girl," she said. "But then my family was killed… and I began running with a different crowd."

She was aware of him looking at her. "The hunters?" he asked.

She nodded.

He did not reply straight away. She knew the question he was going to ask before he opened his mouth. "What… what happened to your family?"

She knew he already knew the answer.

"They were killed—by vampires," she answered. She kept her voice casual, not betraying the emotions that often accompanied those words or thoughts of them.

After a moment, she glanced at him. He was staring at her with a troubled look, before he slowly looked away. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

She shrugged. This was not how she expected this moment to go. If she was honest, she was expecting to have told him this last night, when she stuck a few bullets in his chest and bled him dry until he finally succumbed to death. But she supposed getting exactly what one wants is a far cry from reality.

The silence that followed that short but deciding conversation lasted nearly half an hour, before Astrid finally put the radio on. They listened to random pop music, the three of them making no noise, until Astrid exited the highway and headed down a long, winding road in the midst of a forest.

She was aware of Hiccup looking around nervously, glancing at her periodically. She could see in her peripheral vision that he had an anxious look on his face.

"I'm not taking you out here to shoot you," she said, gripping the wheel tighter for a moment, before forcing herself to relax.

Hiccup did not respond, merely looking ahead out the windshield.

It was unfair, she thought, that he was nervous around _her._ It _should_ make her happy—that she could instill fear in a vampire. A vampire like Hiccup. It meant she was _going_ somewhere. But all she felt was that it wasn't _fair._ _He was a vampire._ He could claw her throat out right there and then, and still get out of the car before it crashed. It was _she_ who should be afraid of _him_.

He was the monster, after all.

* * *

"This is an airport?" Hiccup asked skeptically as they got out of the car.

"It's…" she opened the back seat door and grabbed her backpack and duffle bag. After sitting on a train for over six hours, then an additional two hours of driving, her thigh was aching a new one. She was just thankful it was her left leg that got hit. "It'll do," she said finally, shrugging on her backpack and limping towards the small cottage.

That was an overstatement, she thought. It was really just a runway, a warehouse that stored the planes, and Juan's house. Rudimentary, but, as Hunter's preferred it, _private._

"Okay," she said, as they walked towards the cottage. "Juan doesn't trust vampires—in fact, he doesn't trust _anyone_. Not even me. But he owes me a favor, which is why he's going to help us."

"Why does he owe you a favor?" Hiccup asked, walking slowly beside her so as to not surpass her.

"A few years ago I killed a vampire he had some beef with," Astrid said.

"Oh," Hiccup's face seemed to pale slightly. In the mid-afternoon daylight, he looked just as sickly as before. Add to that the fact that he seemed to be highly starved and dehydrated, he looked every bit of the term 'undead'.

"And also," she said, "If he points a gun at you—or me—don't freak out."

They reached the porch stairs, and Hiccup placed his foot on the first step, before Astrid had a chance to grab him.

Hiccup yelped as a gunshot was heard, and Astrid felt the air _whip_ by as a bullet sailed past between them. Hiccup was suddenly gone, and she turned around to see him on the other side of the car where it was parked in the driveway.

"Hiccup!" she hissed, motioning for him to come back. She turned back to the cottage. "It's alright, Juan," she called out. "It's me, Astrid. _¿Tu amigo, derecho?_ We're not going to hurt you, I just need to cash in that favor you owe me. I _know_ how much you hate owing people…"

There was a long silence, until the door slowly opened, a short, older, Latino man stepping out with a shotgun pointed at her. After a moment, the man pointed the gun at Hiccup. "Your Spanish could use some work, As," he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Hiccup through the gunsight. "And why the fuck did you bring a _blood sucker_ here?"

"It's okay," she said, slowly, "I'm helping him."

Juan lowered his gun for a moment, turning to look at her in surprise. " _You?"_ he asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, _me,"_ she said. "And Reeves and Kanata are pissed about it. So are all the other hunters probably."

"And you came here," Juan gave her a look that reminded Astrid just how stupid this whole ordeal was. "You want to put a price on my head?"

"I wouldn't have come if I didn't know you would help me," she said. "Look, you _owe_ me. After this, I'll be out of your hair and you'll never see me again."

Astrid could feel her blood pulsing as the seconds neared a minute. Finally, Juan lowered his gun, and shrugged his head in the direction of the door. "You're walking funny—I'm guessing you were hit with something. I'll patch you up, like _usual_ , and then I'll take you wherever you need to go."

"Thanks, Juan," she said. She turned, and yelled for Hiccup to get in the house.

Hiccup walked slowly, gazing at the gun in Juan's hands warily. He hesitated on the steps, and Astrid could feel Juan's smugness at Hiccup's fear. Hiccup could sense it too. Finally, Hiccup walked up the steps and into the house.

"Not too far," Juan ordered. Astrid limped up the steps, walking past Juan towards the door, when Juan turned and grabbed her arm in firm hold. "If he does anything— _anything_ —I'm drilling him full of holes, got it?"

She nodded mutely.

Juan closed the door behind them, and set his gun against the wall. "Come on," he said, walking past the two to an adjoined room. A room Astrid had been in plenty of times. "Get on the table," he said, and Astrid obliged, after removing her leg holsters, skirt and pants.

"Uh, what's going on?" Hiccup asked, hovering at the door.

As Astrid lay down on her stomach on the table, Juan whistled. "What was it?"

"Shot—Reeves made the hit. It was a lucky shot," she added.

"Oh—you're going to—well," Hiccup said hurriedly, his voice rising an octave in his panic, "I'm going to _go_ somewhere else—"

"You aren't going _anywhere_ ," Juan retorted sharply, snapping his fingers and pointing at a chair against the wall. "I'm not having a _blood sucker_ roaming free around my place. You'll sit and you'll shut up."

Hiccup stood rooted to the spot, as Juan began to remove the bandage. "How many times did you reapply this?" Juan asked her.

"None yet," Astrid said. "I was shot this morning."

"You should really wait a little while longer before I stitch you up," he said, examining the wound with gloved fingers.

"I don't have _time_ ," Astrid said. "We've got to get to Las Vegas by tonight."

"Las Vegas?" Juan paused, straightening. "What's in Las Vegas?"

"His friend," Astrid said.

Juan was silent. "You're really doing dealings with vampires now?" he asked, finally. He walked way, gathering the necessary items, and washing his hands and arms. "What happened?"

She didn't reply. Once Juan was ready and had gotten everything he needed, he returned, placing the tools and supplies on a stainless steel table beside the one Astrid currently lay on.

"You," she heard Juan say, "Sit down."

"I—" Hiccup began, but did not speak further. She twisted her neck to see him standing there, in the doorway, staring transfixed at her wound. Though it was not bleeding too profusely at the moment, there was still blood that needed to be cleaned and stopped.

She was suddenly thankful she could not see him well in the bathroom on the train. If she had realized he was looking at her like _that_ —wolfish and hungry, barely keeping himself together, she would have rather risked doing it herself. As it were, she suddenly wished he was not in the room.

"Sit, down," she heard Juan say firmly.

"I'm… you're honestly going to make me sit here and watch?" Hiccup demanded. "I'm a _vampire_. We _drink_ blood _._ What about that do either of you not _get?_ Having me sit here and watch you work on her wound is like shoving heroin into the hands of an addict. It's fucked up and going to backfire."

There was a long silence in the room. Astrid careened her neck to look at Juan, to gauge his reaction.

"I'm an addict," Juan said coolly. "Are you saying you missing out on lunch is the same thing?"

Hiccup's mouth opened to reply, but he eventually turned, his body forceful and angry, and headed to the seat. He sat down, causing the chair to creak slightly with the force used, and sat there, staring down at the ground with a fierce expression on his face.

Juan muttered to himself, before returning to the task at hand.

Astrid watched Hiccup for a short time later, before Juan came around and handed her a pill and some water. "What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry," Juan told her, "It's nothing bad. Just an analgesic. New stuff—still in testing."

She gave him a skeptical look.

"It's fine," Juan assured her. "It'll just take the pain out of it. You'll be sleepy for a few hours—but you'll be back to normal by the time we get to Las Vegas."

She eyed him.

"I don't deal with the big stuff anymore, you know that, As," he said. "I've been clean for two years now."

"You said you were an addict," Hiccup said, speaking up again.

"Once you're an addict—you're always an addict. Even if you're not using anymore," Juan said, disappearing from Astrid's vision. She popped the pill in her mouth and drank the water, thankful. "It's a lifelong battle," Juan continued. "I'm guessing you can contest with that."

Hiccup was silent, watching.

After a few moments, Astrid felt her head grow heavy, although not enough to fall asleep. She was aware of pain—somewhere south of her waist, but could not focus on it. She was thankful for this, but also a tad apprehensive. Finally, she felt Juan clap her on the shoulder, startling her awake.

She looked up, and saw Juan speaking to Hiccup. Through blurry eyes, she saw Hiccup walk over to her, turning her over with ease that would have startled her normally, and picked her up, carrying her from the room.

She did not have the energy or desire to fight against him. She felt weightless in his arms—he carried her so effortlessly, as if she weighed nothing. His sweatshirt was soft against her cheek—too soft. She nuzzled it, causing the person carrying her to jump slightly in surprise.

* * *

The next thing she remembered was a great amount of rocking. She sat up, reaching for her gun, and found that she had no weapons on her—and she was on a plane. That was currently in the air. Hiccup was seated next to her, staring at the seat in front of him, which was the co-pilot's seat. Juan was piloting, unaware of her awakening.

She glanced at Hiccup. He returned her glance out of the corners of his eyes. "Good morning," he said loudly over the thrum of the engines.

"Good—" she glanced out the windows, at the pitch black darkness outside. She looked at her watch. She had no idea if it was accurate or not. It had to be early. "What time is it?" she yelled back.

"About two in the morning," he replied. "You slept for a long time."

"Yeah," she moved slightly in her seat, trying to get into a more comfortable position. She had been so _comfortable_ before. And she had been lying down. How had she been lying down? There were only _two_ seats in their row, and Hiccup was in the other one.

She froze.

Was she _lying_ on _Hiccup?_

She glanced at him, to see him studying the seat before him again. She narrowed her eyes. She had at least been leaning on him, even if she didn't have her head in his lap. But what if she had? She could not put too much blame on herself… she was drugged. Still…

She had a headache, and suddenly Hiccup was handing her a large Nalgene filled with water. She chugged it, before stuffing it in her backpack, which was at her feet. Juan wouldn't mind if she kept it. She leaned back in her seat. She faintly remembered Hiccup's sweatshirt—how soft it had been. She remembered cozying up to it. She hoped she did not embarrass herself too badly.

 _God._ She had tried cuddling a _vampire._

Juan turned in his seat, grinning at her. "Ten minutes," he said. "We're just waiting until there's a space to land."

She nodded.

She would have to talk to Hiccup later—make sure he did not misunderstand anything. And to ask him exactly what she said or did. She did not think she did either—all she wanted to do was snuggle and sleep.

She groaned inwardly.

The landing was rocky, but soon they slowed to a stop. They were on a private airfield, and Juan climbed out of his seat and opened the door, grabbing Astrid's duffle bag and hopping out of the plane. He lowered the stairs, and Astrid and Hiccup grabbed their own backpacks and followed him out.

"Las Vegas," Juan said. "Or at least, you'll be in Las Vegas if you take a taxi. Should be there in about half an hour."

"Thanks, Juan," Astrid said. "And thanks for patching me up."

"I packed you with some pills to take," he said. "Legit stuff," he added, "It won't make you pass out and become a Labrador."

She rolled her eyes, as he handed Hiccup the duffle bag. "Take it easy, As," he said, quietly. "Reeves and Kanata are no joke—if they put you in their sights, they won't let go. If you ever need help again…" he paused, "I'll be there."

She smiled, and gently touched his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Thanks, Juan," she said. "You'll be alright?"

"I'll refuel and head home," he said. "The hunters won't mess with me. I'm too valuable as an ally. I'll be fine."

"Good," she said. "Well, Hiccup and I should get on our way—we need to find his friend as fast as possible."

He nodded. Astrid turned, adjusting her backpack, and walked with Hiccup down the runway towards the road, where a taxi was waiting for them.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Juan will return again (at least at this point in my plans for the story), and his backstory will be revealed eventually, explaining his history with vampires and why that history drove him to turn to drugs in the first place to cope with the personal tragedies dealt to him. But I will say, since Astrid earned that favor two years ago, he has been drug free. Closure and resolution can do wonders for the healing process.**

 **Also he's a Grump Face who is the most like a father figure Astrid has and is the only living person she knows (prior to the start of this story) who** _ **actually legitimately**_ **cares about her and her wellbeing, so I definitely plan on bringing him back :3**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading this far and continuing to give this story a chance! If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far :)**


	5. Chapter 5

They stood on the sidewalk, looking at the doors to the casino. Astrid glanced around them. It was a suspicious area— _definitely_ a tourist trap. She returned her gaze to the doors of the casino, where two security guards—both vampires—were standing.

"You sure this is the place?" she asked Hiccup, who stood next to her.

"Yeah," he said. "This casino is owned by my kind. And… if she's at any casino in this city, it's here."

"Okay," Astrid said, "Can I get in with all this stuff?"

"They'll let me in, and if I say you're with me, they'll let you in as well," Hiccup said, shrugging.

"And how do you know they'll let _you_ in?" Astrid asked. "You're being hunted by vampires, remember?"

" _These_ ones are… well, they're friends of my family. Some of the employees are even members of my clan. They'll let me in," Hiccup told her assuredly. He didn't _look_ convinced by his own words, however, which only served to heighten Astrid anxiety.

"Don't worry," Hiccup said, sensing this, "I won't let anything happen to you."

She scoffed, picking up her duffle bag and started for the doors, Hiccup hurrying to catch up to her. They reached the doors, and the two guards glanced at her, before looking at Hiccup. Recognition dawned on their faces, and they motioned for him to continue through. As Astrid made to follow, one of the guards stopped her.

"I.D.," he said gruffly.

"Oh," Hiccup turned, "She's with me."

The guard frowned, and both guards glanced at her with an unimpressed look. He spoke something to Hiccup—in a language Astrid could not understand, and Hiccup responded. Finally, the guard motioned for her to continue in.

They entered the casino, music pulsing through warm air. There were people everywhere.

"What did you say to them?" she asked him, as they stood to the side.

"I told them you were my…" Hiccup trailed off, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink.

She stared at him, eyes narrowed, before she finally ventured, "What, _lover?"_

He nodded mutely.

She let out an exasperated sigh, looking back across the room. She dug in her pockets for her goggles, and placed them on her face, ignoring Hiccup's amused glance at the sight of her, and flipped on the heat sensors.

Most of the people in the room were humans—but most of the staff seemed to be vampires. There were also vampires milling around as customers. "So what is this place?" Astrid asked. "Is it some kind of scam?"

"It's true that vampires are better at playing these kinds of things then humans are," Hiccup said. "We've got to make our wealth _somehow,_ right?"

She muttered incoherently to herself for a moment, before pushing up her goggles, turning to look at him. "Where's your friend?"

The sooner she got Hiccup with whom he needed to be the sooner she could get out of there. Being around so many vampires— _on vampire property_ —made her uneasy.

"She's…" Hiccup looked around, his eyes narrowing as he focused. "She's not in this room. Hold on," he stopped a waitress, and spoke to her in the same language as he had to the guards. She frowned, and replied, nodding over her shoulder to a beefy looking man a little ways away. He looked like he was in charge. "Alvin knows," Hiccup said, motioning for Astrid to follow him. They walked across the room, cutting between the crowds.

"Isn't this hard for you?" Astrid asked, "Being around so many humans?"

"Yeah," Hiccup said, nodding. "Why do you think there are vampire customers here? Humans at casinos are easy prey. They're generally drunk, and are either elated and rich or depressed."

Astrid didn't like the sound of that.

They reached Alvin, a vampire who looked particularly unsavory, and Hiccup said a quiet word in the same language as he had before. Alvin looked him up and down, looked at Astrid, before nodding for them to follow him.

As they followed him into another room and down a fairly empty corridor, Astrid fell into step with Hiccup. "What language are you speaking in?" she asked him.

"Old Norse," Hiccup replied. "A lot of vampires can speak it—a lot of the old families and clans are from that area and time."

"Oh," Astrid said, as they reached a set of doors and a guard opened them. She and Hiccup followed Alvin through. She jumped slightly as the doors were closed behind them. Hiccup gave her a comforting smile, before they sat in the two plush chairs before the large oak desk, where Alvin sat.

"So," Alvin said, "You want to know where the burglar is."

"That _is_ why we're here," Hiccup said.

"And you think she can help you?" Alvin asked, raising his eyebrows. "She can barely help herself."

"Is she here or not?" Hiccup asked patiently.

Alvin heaved a sigh, leaning back in his seat, his hands folded across his chest. The act reminded Astrid distinctly of Reeves' habit of doing the same, which added to her growing anxiety. Both Alvin and Hiccup glanced at her, Hiccup in worry, Alvin with a slightly smug look on his face. He returned his attention to Hiccup. "I heard you have a price on your head, Hiccup. And that you've been on the run. Surprised to see you here—and with a human, of all things."

"She's…" Hiccup paused, glancing at Astrid. "She's my…"

She wondered what he was going to say this time, before Alvin interrupted, "Sven already told me. She's your _dreyri_." Alvin gave Astrid another long look. "Doesn't look very healthy."

"What's a ' _dreyri'_?" Astrid asked, glancing at Hiccup.

He gave her a pained look, and she quickly realized what it meant. _Prey._

"But she's pretty enough," Alvin continued, "I can see why you're prolonging her."

Astrid's brows furrowed slightly, and her hand itched for the gun under her skirt. The way this man looked at her—more than just as a favorable woman, but as something more… like something to chop up and serve in a meal, made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Is she here nor not?" Hiccup asked, clearly sensing Astrid's discomfort.

"She's not," Alvin replied, tearing his eyes away from Astrid. "She was—she sold something she stole in New York… then was here, gambling the money. She was sloppy, and the authorities almost caught her. She's in Los Angeles with your little fish friend last I heard."

"Los Angeles?" Hiccup asked, frowning. He glanced at Astrid, an unsure look on his face.

She sighed, and nodded.

"Thanks, Alvin," he said, standing. "And I would appreciate it if my father didn't know I was here."

"I heard you were keeping him out of the loop," Alvin said, rising from his seat as well. "He won't be happy about that—but," Alvin gave a large shrug of his shoulders, a mean, wolfish look on his face, "Considering who's after _you_ , I wouldn't want to involve him either."

Hiccup nodded, before taking Astrid firmly under the arm and drawing her out of her seat as if she was a rag doll. "Come on," he said, leading her away. They walked out of the office and out of the casino, at a speed that made Astrid thankful that Hiccup was the one carrying the duffle bag.

They finally found a ledge to stand under, and Astrid glanced at him. "Why'd we get out of there so fast?" she asked.

"Your leg," Hiccup said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you go in there."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"It's just… with your leg like that, you smell… more than usual, for a human, I mean," Hiccup said.

She made a face.

"I mean, you smell more _tempting,"_ Hiccup said hurriedly. "The other vampires, they could sense you. And I mean, most would respect that you're— _allegedly_ my _dreyri_ , but Alvin was…" Hiccup's shoulders inched inwards towards his chest, in a slightly defeated pose. "He wouldn't care so much."

Astrid looked quickly away, taking a small breath. "And," she said, slowly, "What exactly does _dreyri_ mean?"

"'Blood'," Hiccup said. "It means you're my prey. But it often also means… a lover of some sort. Not the good kind," he added. "The kind you leave dead in the morning."

She looked at him in shock. "And you willingly went along with that?" she demanded.

"Most humans are _dreyri_ for vampires," he said quickly, glancing at her with a guilty expression. "Most vampires don't turn to humans for romance. It doesn't make any sense, on any level. So mostly humans are just… food or sex or both."

He looked thoroughly embarrassed, and for a moment, she nearly took pity on him. She quickly decided not to. "Alright," she said. "Looks like we're going to be going to Los Angeles."

"You don't have to," Hiccup said, "If you don't want to. Toothless and I can probably get there ourselves."

She glanced at the backpack, where Toothless' head, which was a little smaller than a softball, peered out and gave a little chirp. She sighed. "I got you this far, I'll be damned if I don't get you the rest of the way."

Hiccup let out a small breath, and smiled at her. She gave him a good, long look, taking in his appearance. Here at night, he looked much more natural and attractive. Still hungry and sickly, but not as terrible looking as he did in sunlight. "Alright," she said, "We should probably take a bus." She glanced at him, wondering how he'd _do_ on a bus. "Let's get going."

She walked to the side of the street, and hailed a cab. As they got in, and she instructed the cabby to take them to the bus station, she wondered how much longer she'd be stuck with this vampire and dragon. And what would happen to her once she was finally free of them.

* * *

"Stand still," Astrid hissed, as Hiccup twitched, his hands dancing by his side in an affect that told Astrid he was barely keeping himself contained. "What's the matter with you?"

"I'm nervous," he whispered back. "There's a lot of people here."

She looked around. They were in a long line to get on the bus—there had to be at least thirty people so far. Apparently Los Angeles was a popular place.

Hiccup had expressed concern, after leaving the casino. He seemed paranoid that a vampire might have followed them. According to him, Alvin was an untrustworthy man. Astrid didn't need to be told twice about that. He was a _vampire_. Enough said.

"Well, you'll sit by the window," Astrid told him firmly. They reached the bus driver, and she handed him their tickets. "Last stop," she told him, smiling benignly. "Riverside."

He nodded, accepting her duffle bag, and placing it in the baggage compartment under the bus. She felt uncomfortable to only have her side arm with her, secured safely under her skirt. But she supposed she would survive seven hours of bus riding without her full arsenal. "Come on," she said, grabbing Hiccup's hand and pulling him up the steps into the bus. The bus was already nearly full, but they thankfully found seats next to each other. Hiccup sat at the window, Astrid took the aisle.

As the bus pulled out of the bus station, and headed towards the interstate, she was finally able to relax, she let herself doze for about an hour, until she woke from slow, steady breaths beside her.

The bus was almost full, and this, while a mild discomfort, would have been an inconsequential fact to her had it not been for Hiccup. She looked over to see Hiccup sitting, eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched on his knees, as he breathed as intensely as a woman giving birth.

"Hiccup?" she said quietly, so as to not disturb the other passengers. For all his heightened senses, he made no indication he heard her.

She moved her hand to rest on his forearm, and his eyes flew open, looking at her with an expression that made her recoil from him instinctively.

He let out a small gasp of air, before quickly looking out the window. "Sorry," he muttered. "It's just… there's so many people here."

"I…" Astrid began, unsure of what to say. She was not used to comforting vampires. Nor did she truly _want_ to. How was she supposed to sympathize with a vampire's blood lust? "Um… Just try to… not think about it?"

He nodded. In the early morning light, he looked ghostly pale and sickly, per usual. The glow and glamour he had exhibited at night was now wholly gone.

"I'm sure there is a blood bank somewhere you can rob or something," she said. "Or some farm—"

"I'm not stealing—and no humans, remember?" he replied.

"Well, you've got to do something," she said, looking at the back of the seat in front of her. The situation was far too tense, and she hardly knew what to do about it. To lighten the mood, she said, jokingly, "Worse comes to worse," and shook her wrist in the air in front of them.

She let out a gasp as his hand shot out and grasped her wrist tightly, causing her bones to creak. They sat frozen like that for a mere few seconds, before he shoved her hand, offending wrist and subsequent veins away from him with such force that she nearly fell into the aisle.

She did not even have time to react. As she sat there, holding her wrist where he had grabbed her, she remembered suddenly and vividly that, despite his nuances and differences, he was, after all, _a vampire._ That despite his appearance as a string bean and nerd, all noodle arms and most likely visible ribs, he was still inhuman, and, underneath it all, a vampire.

She suddenly realized that her quick comfort around him, letting her guard down, acting in a familial way, and _trusting_ him enough to make a dangerous joke, was the most foolish thing she had ever done.

If Old Man Naqu could see her now…

She fought to keep her heart under control. She cursed herself for relaxing around the vampire. She cursed herself for fooling herself, even for one moment, she might just have a friend in him.

After a moment, she glanced at him, to see him looking out the window, his hand covering his mouth and nose, his other arm hugging around his waist.

Was it really that difficult? Sitting here with nearly forty passengers surrounding him?

Whenever _she_ got hungry, she was never overcome with violent tendencies. She never hurt someone over food. How was it so different for vampires? She wondered if it was because of his hunger. If not having eaten for a month and a half caused him to have lowered resolve and control. She wondered how hard it was to resist the temptation of forty humans, defenseless and unable to escape.

She rested her hand on her skirt, just over the gun underneath.

She knew, if it came to it, she would not hesitate.

However much she found herself liking Hiccup, against her better judgement, she knew for a fact, that the _facts_ remained.

He was a vampire.

She was a hunter.

And if it came down to it, she would do what she had to do.

Just like she'd done countless times before.

* * *

She barely had time to stand up before Hiccup was practically jumping over her legs and pushing through the line to get off the bus. She grabbed her backpack, thankful that Hiccup at least had the sense to get Toothless', and waited in line, unable to maneuver through the crowd quickly with her leg in its condition. When she got off the bus, she grabbed her duffle bag and looked around, seeing Hiccup standing off a ways, looking away from the crowds. She walked over to him. "We've got to catch the train or we'll be stuck here for a while," she told him, her voice having lost its familial tone it had garnered during their time together.

He looked around at her, and she was relieved to find he seemed to be back to his normal self.

She was not, surprisingly enough, relieved to find that his face had also lost its own pleasantly. "Alright," he said, and followed her as they walked through the Riverside station, until they reached the train.

As they sat in their seats, Astrid heaved a breath. She knew she should apologize. It was an ill thought out joke. If she had been thinking clearly—if she had _remembered_ that he wasn't human, and that it was his foremost instincts to feed on _her,_ an actual human, and had not begun to think of him as just a regular guy, she never would have done it.

She felt like a rookie all over again. Fresh out of training and on her first mission, where it was expected she would die.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out, after nearly an hour of tense silence, causing him to look at her in surprise.

His face hardened slightly, and he made no answer.

"I shouldn't have—it was…" she trailed off. She was not used to apologizing. Hunters generally settled their differences with a physical altercation. There were also societal disciplinary actions that could be made, but most often a heartfelt apology was never called for. She stared at his feet, at the black and white Converse high tops. A strange choice, she thought, for a thousand year old man. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

There was a long silence between them.

"You just don't understand," he said quietly.

Astrid waited impatiently for him to continue, and when he said nothing else, she prompted, "About what?" although she knew the answer.

"I…" his face looked troubled—tortured, almost. "You don't know what it's _like_. It's… it's not just this _thing_ that we are. It's like a disease. We're not… _normal._ We shouldn't exist. We're… _unnatural._ " He took a small breath, still not looking at her. "And when we're hungry, and we're around people, humans, that is, it's like we turn into animals. The only reason I _didn't_ attack anyone is because I have years— _centuries_ of experience honing my control. And then _you_ just… thrust your…" he shuddered slightly. "In that moment, Astrid, I nearly…"

He stopped talking, clearly unable to voice his thoughts.

She did not know what to say. "It's my fault," she said.

"I know," he replied.

"I shouldn't have… I forgot you were a… I guess I just… started to trust you," she said simply.

Hiccup's head turned up to look at her, and the look on his face made her regret these words.

Hurt… _fear._

"Right," he said, looking away from her, his face turned downwards so she could not clearly see his features.

The conversation was over.

Neither had anything else to say.

* * *

"I'm going to the bathroom," she told Hiccup, "Watch the stuff."

She brought her backpack with her, leaving the duffle bag, and Hiccup and Toothless, outside in a hallway of Union Station.

After using the bathroom, she stood before the mirror, gazing at her reflection. She had cut marks on her cheeks. Shallow, they'll disappear after a week or two. The wound on her leg, that still caused her to limp dangerously, was a different matter. She should really rest—put her legs up. All this sitting and moving around will only serve to make her recovery slower.

She sighed.

She had somehow lost her energy. She had been running on adrenaline up until the bus ride. Suddenly she felt herself crashing. She wanted sleep. She wanted to sleep for three years.

She heard the door the bathroom open, and steps as someone entered, but she paid them no mind. It wasn't until she sensed the person approaching her that she began to notice them. She looked up at her reflection—to look at the incomer, when a hand covered her mouth and nose, drawing her into his chest, his other arm wrapping around her waist, pinning her arms to her side.

 _Joe._

"Little deserter thinks she can get away," he whispered throatily in her ear. "Little deserter forgets the _code."_

If he wasn't wearing thick gloves, she would have bitten down on his hand. Instead, she lifted her legs up, kicking against the sink and pushing them backwards. Joe swore as they stumbled backwards, his grip on her failing. She twisted around, dropping out of his arms and he fumbled to keep his balance.

She landed awkwardly, her body twisting as she fell on her side. Her bad leg stung, pain erupting as stitches tore. She gave out cry, reaching for her gun as she stood shakily. "Get down, I'm going to use a gun!" she shouted to the woman in one of the stalls. As much as she hated announcing her intents, Joe knew she would use a gun if she had one on her. And she didn't like the thought of endangering a passerby.

She drew her gun, turning off the safety, and pointed it at Joe, but the pain in her leg made her sloppy, and before she could pull the trigger, Joe grabbed her wrist, knocking the gun out of her hands.

He kneed her in the gut, causing her to vomit and fall to her knees.

He had just grabbed her hair, and was pulling her to her feet, when he gave out a grunt, and collapsed on the ground next to her.

She sank to her knees, clutching her stomach, trying to regain her breath, and saw a set of knees appear before her. She looked up to see Hiccup's face parallel with hers. "Are you okay?" he asked hurriedly.

She couldn't speak, so she nodded.

"He's not our only problem," he said, "I saw two vampires outside—we've got to go… _now."_

She let him lift her to her feet. He looked down at her leg, gulping. She couldn't walk like this, and so he put her arm around his shoulder, walking quickly out of the bathroom. She had no gun now—and her duffle bag was nowhere to be seen. Wherever Hiccup left it, it didn't seem like they had time to go back for it.

"We've got to get out of here," she rasped out, trying to move her legs fast enough to keep up with Hiccup. At this point he was practically carrying her.

She didn't know what had gotten into her. She had been distracted—Joe had gotten the drop on her. If only she hadn't gotten shot yesterday. She would have been able to fight back properly—Joe would be _dead_ by now, not just knocked out.

She reached into her pocket, awkwardly and sloppily putting on her goggles, and turning on the heat sensors. She looked around. Humans... humans… humans… hu…

She wished she had a gun.

A vampire, with brown hair slicked back into a ponytail, his thin, ethereal face mean and determined, was walking straight for them. The people around them most likely thought he was some model or actor, but Astrid knew better. "Hicc—" she began.

"I see him," Hiccup interrupted. They turned quickly, heading outside. "Alright," he said, "We're going to make a break for it, okay? And worse comes to worse I'll…" he hesitated.

She could hardly put pressure on her leg. Somehow the pain was worse now than it was when she was first shot. She didn't have the benefit of shock this time around. She didn't know how she could fight against vampires—with no gun or weapons. Why had Hiccup left behind her duffle bag? And why had she not searched for her gun in the bathroom before they got out of there?

She heard Toothless make a distressed noise, and Astrid felt herself torn out of Hiccup's grasp from behind.

Instincts took over, and this time, she did bite the hand covering her mouth.

She heard someone swear in a Slavic language. She kicked with her good leg, and the person let go of her. She stumbled slightly, then turned, getting into a ready stance. Luckily there were few people around, and most of them ignored the three of them.

Hiccup was at her side in an instant, grabbing her and pulling her backwards towards him. In any other situation, she would have protested all this pushing and pulling she was currently being exposed to, but at the moment, she was just thankful to have someone to help keep her upright.

Hiccup spoke urgently to the vampire before him, to which the vampire merely shook her head, saying nothing. The vampire reached out in an aggressive motion, so quickly that Astrid could hardly see more than a flash of movement—

Astrid suddenly found herself moving quickly—much too quickly for a human—down an alleyway. She was confused for a moment, before she realized that Hiccup was carrying her. She didn't expect him to be able to move this fast.

She looked over his shoulder, to see two vampires coming after them. Hiccup crossed into a street, the two vampires following—when suddenly she heard shots, and a van appeared, hitting one the vampires. The other dropped to the ground, bleeding.

Hiccup thundered to a stop, shocked by these events, and stared at the two incapacitated vampires in the street.

The side-door of the van opened, a tall woman stepping out. Her red hair was pulled back in a tight and neat ponytail, and she gazed at Hiccup with clear, green eyes. "As usual," she said in an Irish accent, her voice betraying a strict sense of propriety, "You are the center of mayhem, Hiccup."

"Gladys," Hiccup said breathlessly. "What are you—"

"Get in the van, I'll explain when I bring you to the boss," Gladys nodded over her head to the interior of the van.

Hiccup moved towards it, and Astrid clutched his shoulder. "It's okay," Hiccup told her quietly, as they got in the van and sat in the seats. Gladys got in after them, closing the door. She spoke to the driver, a burly woman with short black hair, and the van started off, jumping slightly as they ran over the two vampires. "Someone will pick them up," Gladys said, as if this was very boring information indeed. "Can't have the LAPD finding them. Their little heads would explode."

Hiccup settled Astrid down on the seat, looking at her in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, his brows pointing upwards, giving him the look of someone at a death bed.

Astrid didn't reply for a moment. She looked at Gladys, then at the woman driving the van. Even without the heat sensors, she could see that they were clearly vampires. "Who are they? Where are they taking us?" she whispered to Hiccup, feeling fear and apprehension fill her.

Before Hiccup could answer, Gladys said, without turning to look at them, "I'm Gladys Kelly, this is Nora Jacobs. Just call her Jacobs. As for where we are taking you… to the most nefarious and infamous vampire there is…"

Gladys turned to give Astrid a long look, a hint of a smug expression barely visible on her face, "To Ze Great Camicazi."

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Ohoho? What does this spell for Astrid and Hiccup? You'll just have to wait and see ;)**

 **Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far**

 **See you soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

They were not taken, as far as Astrid knew, directly to _Ze Great Camicazi_ , whom Astrid had heard of through legend, but had never had the displeasure of meeting in person. They were instead taken to a small room in a large warehouse, where a doctor—another vampire—worked on redoing her stitches. Astrid lay, feeling vulnerable and exposed, as well as completely defenseless, as the vampire worked in silence.

Hiccup watched closely, keeping an eye on the doctor as well as the two guards posted nearby.

The thing that Astrid noticed first was that every employee of Ze Great Camicazi was female—or seemed to be female. Once Astrid's wound had been reclosed, she was handed a glass of water, some antibiotics, and some Advil. She only wished they had given her something while they were doing the stitches. Not showing pain in front of a bunch of vampires was excruciating in and of itself.

Astrid sat on the table, feeling uncomfortable, not wanting to stand and not wanting to lie down either. Hiccup stood next to her. He was looking troubled, and she wondered if he was hungry again. Instead of hunger, he looked… guilty. "What is it?" she asked him.

"Your leg…and wrist…" he said quietly, although the other vampires could clearly hear him. "They're…"

The door to the room opened, and Gladys entered. She peered at them through her horn rimmed glasses—that Astrid knew was mainly for show. Vampires had improved eyesight. Then again, it was during the day, and Hiccup proved that they generally had a serious sensitivity to sunlight.

"Good, you're done," she said. "I'll take you to see Camicazi now."

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, realizing that Gladys was only talking to him. She supposed it was her time to get out of there—now that Hiccup was safely in his friend's hands. She moved to get off the table, but Hiccup stopped her, resting a gentle, but firm hand on her arm. "Astrid's coming with me," he told Gladys.

The vampire raised her slender, perfectly shaped eyebrows. "It's not up for debate," she said. "Camicazi only requested you come to her."

"There are people hunting us—that will kill Astrid if they get ahold of her. In her condition, she can't outmatch them," Hiccup replied.

Astrid felt a little insulted by this. "I'll be fine," she protested.

Hiccup shook his head. "You've got to heal."

Gladys gazed at them for a short while, before she spoke in Old Norse to Hiccup, who replied hotly. Finally, Gladys took in a small breath, her normally emotionless features gaining the hint of exasperation, before she nodded and turned, heading for the door.

Astrid stood, and Hiccup placed an arm around her waist, but she shrugged him off. A vampire appeared by her side, handing her a crutch. Astrid thanked her, and hobbled after Gladys and Hiccup.

They walked through a large warehouse, and Astrid took the time to look around. There were many items of what appeared to be of great value. Many looked foreign. Suddenly Astrid remembered what Alvin had said.

'Stolen something in New York'

Was Camicazi an art thief? Or working on the Black Market?

They reached a set of heavy doors, and Gladys opened them with ease, stepping aside and giving them a look that indicated they should enter.

"It's pitch black," Astrid said.

The corners of Gladys' lips twitched.

"It's just," Hiccup began, before sighing and taking Astrid by the arm, leading her inside the dark room. Astrid was aware of Gladys following them, before the doors closed, and plunged them all into darkness.

She heard Hiccup sigh again.

"Well, well, well," she heard a voice say from within the darkness. A woman's voice, accented and posh with a slight lilt.

Again, Hiccup sighed, a little more exasperated this time.

"To think you would come running back to _me,"_ the voice continued. A light turned on, on the other side of the room, and the back of a large, plush, leather chair faced them, a slender wrist and hand visible, gently grasping the string of a vintage lamp.

The chair swiveled around slowly, revealing a woman sitting in it.

She was, undoubtedly, a vampire. Astrid knew that much even without her heat sensors. She was far too beautiful to be a human. An elegant face, with sharp, strong features, she looked every bit aristocratic. An angled, aquiline nose, a pointed chin, high cheekbones, angled, dark eyebrows, blue-violet eyes that sparkled mischievously, and plump pink lips that portrayed a playful smirk.

She looked to be about twenty-five or so, perhaps a little older, but she also gave off the air of someone far younger—that ageless, youthful look many vampires seemed to possess.

" _Hiccup,"_ she said, her smirk widening.

"Camicazi—before you get any ideas, I'm—"

"Coming back with your _tail between your legs,"_ she continued, obviously finding the situation exceedingly amusing.

"I need _help_ ," Hiccup said, sighing again, "It'd be nice if you didn't rub it in—"

"Poor little Hiccup!" Camicazi rose from her seat, walking around the mahogany desk and stopped before Hiccup. She was about Astrid's height. Camicazi flipped her thick, messy blonde hair over her shoulder. "Having to seek the aid of _me_ —whatever shall he do now?"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "I'm assuming you know _why_ I'm here."

"I do," Camicazi's amused look never left her face. "You've got a certain clan on your tail—I heard all about it. I'm glad you did come to me," she leaned close to him, her smirk widening to reveal perfect teeth, barred in a grin, "I don't see much of you these days."

There was a long silence, which Astrid felt was quiet awkward, before Hiccup glanced at her. Camicazi followed his gaze, finally acknowledging Astrid. "Oh," Camicazi said, raising her eyebrows skeptically, looking Astrid up and down, an unenthused expression replacing the one of playfulness she had before. "I heard you had a _dreyri…_ I didn't believe it… Well," Camicazi fingered a lock of her golden hair, "I suppose she _is_ your type."

Hiccup shuffled awkwardly, and Astrid realized with a jolt that this Camicazi—this vampire, must have had—or _have_ —a history with Hiccup beyond that of friends. She remembered what Hiccup said about only having slept with vampires. She knew she was looking at one of them now.

"Well," Camicazi turned, suddenly all business, "I can help you. If you tell me what it is you need help with. If you need to go into hiding, I can certainly help you with that. But, you know… Dagur isn't really one to let _go_ of things. He'll hunt you down. And while his own clan is… large but… _weak_ , he has strong allies." Camicazi turned towards him. "The Bludvist clan has been waiting for a long time to oppose your own. _He_ might relish the opportunity to… _retaliate._ And if that happens…" she shrugged, sitting on the edge of her desk, crossing her arms lazily, "I'm afraid nothing _I_ can do can protect you. Or," she added, her voice quiet and low, "Your family."

There was a long silence, and Astrid didn't know where to look first. As inconsequentially as she had entered Camicazi's acknowledgment, she had exited just as quickly and with as little thought. She wondered why she was brought here at all. The thought of being confined in a large heavily guarded warehouse—with no one but vampires around—didn't settle well with her.

"But will you help me _now?"_ Hiccup asked. "For old time's sake?"

Camicazi's face was inexpressive, not betraying her thoughts. Finally, her face broke into a wide jovial grin, opening her arms wide. "Of course, _mi amor_." She stood up and walked over to Hiccup, standing very close to him. "Shall we seal the deal like we usually do?"

As she leaned in for a kiss, Hiccup turned his head, looking awkwardly at Astrid, for she was standing directly to his left, before quickly looking up at the ceiling. Camicazi leaned backwards away from him, looking at him quizzically, trying to decipher why he had avoided kissing her, before she glanced at Astrid.

A strange cocktail of looks passed over the vampire's face. Amusement. Curiosity. Perhaps even a hint of jealously. She looked back at Hiccup, a smirk on her lips. She spoke to him in Old Norse, and though Astrid could not understand what she was saying, she distinctly heard the word ' _dreyri'._

Hiccup blushed, glaring at her.

Camicazi said something else, poking his stomach playfully.

He replied with something curt and clearly sarcastic.

Camicazi burst into a raucous laughter, arms crossed over her stomach as she leaned back, her laughter echoing in the large office. Astrid glanced between them, worried and curious, before looking at Gladys, who had remained silent since they entered the room.

Gladys merely looked at her with an ever so slightly amused expression.

"What are you saying?" Astrid demanded.

"He says," Camicazi replied, "You are _not_ his _dreyri."_

"I'm not," Astrid affirmed.

"Well, I had guessed as much," Camicazi said, walking back to her desk and sitting down in the large, overstuffed chair behind it. "Hiccup has never _had_ one of those. He's such a stickler with not eating humans." Camicazi gazed at Astrid again, looking her up and down. "You are pretty though—for a human. I can see why he's… _interested_ in you."

"He's not—" Astrid cut herself off, remembering their conversation on the train to Chicago. He had thought her pretty. _Was_ he interested in her outside of just outwards beauty? She knew she was an attractive person, but she had never been much interested in forming a relationship. She had been too busy _killing_ vampires for that.

She stopped herself from traveling down that mental road.

Was she truly just considering what it would have been like to _date_ Hiccup?

"Look, as much as I know you just _love_ to humiliate me," Hiccup said, sounding very much like he'd rather the conversation turn to anything else. "I hardly know Astrid—but she saved my life, and she endangered her own by doing so—and if you keep us safe for a while, I'll be able to figure out how to get off of Dagur's hit list."

"And Drago's," Camicazi added. "Word in the Vein is Drago is quite keen on starting a war. He wants the Haddock Clan for himself. You know he thinks your father is weak. And with… your father looking ever so eagerly for _you…_ he's quite… _distracted."_

There was something about Camicazi's tone that Astrid didn't quite like. Almost as if she would take advantage of such a situation as well.

Hiccup seemed to gather the threat as well, for he narrowed his eyes. "What do you have planned?" he asked.

"Nothing that will affect _you,_ my sweet little man," Camicazi leaned back in her seat. "It's just… I have my eyes on a few items that your father possesses. I'm sure if I give him information about your whereabouts, he'd be more than happy to hand them over."

There was a long silence, before Camicazi laughed again. "Don't worry, you sod," she said, "I'm not going to give you away to your parents… however sympathetic I am to their plight. No, I will harbor you until you gain some sense of your own. You can't always run away from your problems," she added. "Gladys will bring you somewhere to stay tonight."

"Where?" Hiccup asked.

"A friend," Camicazi grinned at him.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes," Camicazi said, her voice suddenly impatient. "Since you obviously…" she trailed off for a moment, glancing at Astrid again, "Wont' be interested in staying with me. Gladys," she looked at the redhead, "Bring them—and have a few guards stay with them. And… get them anything they need."

"Of course, Ma'am," Gladys bowed slightly, before walking to the doors and opening them.

Astrid turned, ready to follow the vampire out of the office, when Camicazi called out, "Hiccup, if I may talk to you in private?"

Hiccup glanced at Astrid, gauging her reaction, before nodding. Gladys motioned for Astrid to follow her.

As the doors closed behind her, Astrid stopped, glancing at the solid wood. She wondered what Camicazi and Hiccup were talking about. She wondered what they were _doing._

She supposed it didn't quite matter.

* * *

They drove to their destination in a rather nice car—much nicer than Astrid was used to being in. She and Hiccup sat in the back seat, while Jacobs and Gladys sat in the two front. Astrid glanced at Hiccup, knowing she couldn't—or shouldn't—ask him any questions until they were out of earshot of the two vampires. She wanted to know about his relationship with Camicazi. How long they knew each other—how long they had been…

She didn't know why she was so curious. She supposed it was because of his apparent attraction to herself that caused her to wonder what vampire relationships were like.

Not that she was interested in Hiccup in any way.

They hardly knew each other more than two days.

It seemed so much longer.

And besides, she thought adamantly. He was a _vampire._

He was off limits in the most concrete way.

The car pulled up in front of a small house, an overweight man—a vampire as well—stood at the front door, arguing with two female vampires. He was wearing flip flops, shorts, and a baggy T-shirt, with short, messy blonde hair.

As Astrid got out of the car, she felt Hiccup push past her, hurrying up the stone path.

The male vampire saw him coming, before giving out a shout and the two embraced. After a moment, they drew away from each other, talking quietly and urgently. "This way, Miss Hofferson," Gladys said, motioning for Astrid to follow them.

Astrid limped up the path.

"So this is her?" the male vampire Hiccup had hugged—who could only be Fishlegs—said, looking at Astrid as she stopped before them beside Gladys.

"Yes," Hiccup said, "This is Astrid. Astrid, this is Fishlegs. He's a member of my clan and a good friend."

"Oh," was all Astrid could say.

She wasn't used to being introduced to vampires as if they were _people._ It was all becoming rather overwhelming.

"Well," Fishlegs said, "If I had known it was _the two of you_ coming to stay with me, I wouldn't have made such a fuss. Camicazi never tells the whole story…" he muttered to himself. "But I do want to hear yours! Come in, come in," he turned, opening the door to his house and walked inside. Astrid and Hiccup followed, Gladys waiting outside.

"I'll be returning to the warehouse with the car," she told them. "Call me, if you need anything. Your things will arrive within the hour."

She turned and walked down the path, and Hiccup closed the door after her.

"It's so good to see you again," Hiccup said. "I've had such a hell of a time. Oh—and don't tell my dad I'm here… I don't really want to involve him."

"Well, he'll find out eventually. He's got pretty much the whole clan looking for you," Fishlegs said. "Want anything? I can heat up some burritos if you want."

"We're fine," Hiccup said.

"I was talking to her," Fishlegs pointed at Astrid. "I only keep food here for humans."

"Oh, right," Hiccup said, looking at Astrid as if seeing her for the first time. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Astrid told him.

"I'll cook up a burrito!" Fishlegs said excitedly. "Or better! Let's cook something tonight! I never really cook because there's no point in doing so just for myself… but it'd be fun to make it for you." He turned and hurried into the kitchen.

"Let's sit," Hiccup said, leading Astrid into the living room. They sat on a couch, and Astrid took the opportunity to look around.

Fishlegs' house seemed to be overrun with tanks and cages and terrariums. A multitude of animals were assembled here, including what appeared to be some kind cross between a bulldog, a pug, a small pig, and a Persian cat… with wings. _It must be another one of those dragon familiars_ , she thought. Toothless crawled out of Hiccup's backpack, eager to be free, and hopped over to the other dragon. The two sniffed each other excitedly. "What does Fishleg's _do?"_ Astrid asked Hiccup quietly.

"At the present? He runs a blog," Hiccup said. "It's on bugs and reptiles and birds and sometimes other animals. It's pretty cool."

"At the present?" she asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup said, as if this was a widely known fact. "Vampires live for essentially forever… you can't expect us to do the same thing for all our lives."

She had never thought about what a vampire did for a career, besides skeevy things like Alvin's rigged casino. She heard a microwave ding, and suddenly Fishlegs' was hurrying into the living room, placing a plate with the burrito, and a glass of water, on the coffee table before Astrid. He sat in a chair opposite them, gazing at her expectantly.

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, who mouthed that she should start eating.

Feeling like a deer in a headlight, she peeled back the wrapper and took a bite. She _was_ starving, and so the food was more than welcome. Fishlegs sighed dreamily. "I miss food," he said. "Real food. The tastes… the flavors…. The _spices_ … it's all…" he sighed again. "Well, eat up. We'll go grocery shopping—or I'll go—and we'll cook up a bunch of things tonight."

He turned to look at Hiccup. "Tell me what's been going on with you? I heard Dagur's clan is after you, but I wasn't sure what you were doing exactly."

"I was… I saved someone," Hiccup said. "One of Dagur's _dreyri."_

Fishlegs' raised an eyebrow. "Are you crazy, Hiccup?" he asked, "You know the code."

"I know, I know," Hiccup sighed. "I just… I get sick of the damn code. Anyway, Dagur' s been after me since. Then Astrid showed up—tried to kill me—"

"I'm sorry," Fishlegs' interrupted. "Is she working for Dagur?"

"I'm a hunter," Astrid said.

Fishlegs looked at her in alarm.

"She decided to save me, instead of kill me," Hiccup said. "And then the hunters she was with decided to kill _her,_ and shot her… and that was in Detroit. And then we went to Chicago… and then to Las Vegas… and now we're here."

"That was… very succinct," Fishlegs said, musing to himself. "Why'd you help a vampire, if you're a hunter?" he asked Astrid.

She had no reply to that, so she kept quiet.

"Anyway," Hiccup said. "Thanks for letting us stay here."

"I didn't have much choice," Fishlegs admitted. "You know Camicazi." He paused for a second, before he said, "Is it true she's your _dreyri?"_

"No," Hiccup said, his voice tight with tension. "She's just a friend. And you know me better than that, Fishlegs."

"I know, I know," Fishlegs said. "It's just… Cami said something on the phone about you bringing someone along, and how the two of you were going to be staying in the same room—"

"What?" Hiccup and Astrid demanded in unison.

"I know, I know, sounds just like something she would say. She's always been one for uncomfortable jokes. I only have one spare room so—"

"I'll take the couch," Hiccup said flatly, his voice serious and unamused.

"I can—" Astrid began, before Hiccup shook his head.

"You need rest," he told her, "You won't get that while sleeping on a couch." He sighed, muttering, "It's just like Cami to pull something like that…"

"When was the last time you ate?" Fishlegs asked, changing the subject, although Astrid suddenly wondered if he did after all.

"A month and a half ago," Hiccup said.

Fishlegs whistled. "I've got some bags," he said, "It's not as good as fresh blood—but you can have some."

Hiccup's let out a small breath, a look of upmost relief crossing his face. "Thanks," he breathed.

"I'll go get some," Fishlegs stood, before looking at Astrid, "Maybe you should go to your room," he suggested.

"What, am I grounded?" she asked jokingly.

"Astrid," Hiccup said quietly, the serious tone of his voice gaining her attention immediately. "It's for your own safety."

She remembered the incident on the bus, and nodded, rising and following Fishlegs to the guest bedroom. As she closed the door, walking to the bed and sitting down, she wondered what Hiccup would be like when he was finished feeding.

More than anything, she wished none of this had happened.

Too much that could not be reversed or rectified had occurred.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Thanks for reading! I'm so glad we've finally gotten to the introduction of** _ **Ze Great Camicazi…**_ **I've really enjoyed writing her in this story :)**

 **If you have a moment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far!**

 **See you next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

Astrid waited in Fishlegs' spare bedroom long after it got dark before she heard a knock on her door. She rose from the bed, frowning, wondering if it was smart to open it.

The wives' tale that vampires could not enter without being invited was, in fact, a wive's tale, meant to disguise vampires and reassure humans.

She approached the door and opened it, and saw Hiccup standing on the other side.

Her mouth dropped open, staring at him in shock.

Had she not seen him during the night, she would have thought it was merely the sun going down that made a difference. But she knew it was the fact that now, very unlike before, it was because he had recently fed.

He smiled at her, looking more at ease and relaxed. His skin was clearer, brighter, and smoother. His eyes were also brighter, and no longer looked both dull and over glossed, but shone with life. His hair had more body and life to it, and it looked like he recently showered.

"You look…." she trailed off for a moment. "You look different."

He shrugged, and then stepped farther into the hall, "If you want to take a shower you can."

"Oh, shit, yeah," she said, stepping out. "I don't have any spare clothes—"

"Cami sent some over for us," he said, handing her a pile of neatly folded clothing.

"Thanks," she said, taking it.

"The bathroom is in there," he pointed to a door down the hall. "You'll find towels and shampoo and everything else you might need."

"Thanks," she said. She made to move past him, before pausing, turning to look at him, curious again. "You really look different," she said.

He shrugged, still smiling somewhat.

He also looked happier. Less downtrodden and tired. It was a marked improvement.

She took a shower, taking her time cleaning herself, and thankful to finally be able to do so, and finally got dressed. Hiccup had handed her night clothes, which was just as well, as she was exhausted and couldn't wait to _actually_ sleep, in fresh clothes, with a clean body, in a good, comfortable bed.

She heard voices in the other side of the house as she turned the water off and got dressed. When she was finished, she stepped out of the bathroom and walked down the hall, to the kitchen, where Hiccup and Fishlegs were arguing.

"What's going on?" she asked, hovering in the doorway.

"Fishlegs is putting too much spice in it," Hiccup said, turning to look at her irritably. "When vampires try to eat human food, we usually have to make it super flavorful, or we just don't taste it at all. He doesn't realize that humans don't have the _benefit_ of blunted taste buds."

"Okay, okay," Fishlegs said, putting up his hands in defeat. "I won't put any more in. We're making tacos."

"Oh," she said.

"Real tacos," Fishlegs continued, "This is Los Angeles after all. I learned to make them in Mexico, though, when I lived there for a few decades. This was in the eighteen hundreds. Don't quite remember which exact years…"

"Hiccup said you were a blogger," Astrid said. "That's pretty cool."

She did not heed Hiccup quickly waving his hand behind Fishlegs back to try to shut her up, and Fishlegs, not having seen it, burst into action. "Oh yes!" he said. "It's great. It's becoming quite large, and quite interactive. We have about five people involved. Here, let me bring it up on my laptop…" he moved quickly to the counter, opening a webpage on his laptop, and bringing up the blog. "Check it out, if you'd like."

She humored him, although she didn't quite feel like going through every page on the website. But Fishlegs insisted she bring his laptop to the living room, where she could sit and rest.

She did so, but did not look at his website. Instead, she sat, having a staring contest with a bird, and watching TV while scratching Toothless' back, and waited until Hiccup and Fishlegs finally came out of the kitchen, bringing with them quite a few platters of food. "Are you two eating with me?" she asked.

"Oh no," Fishlegs said. "I'm afraid this food would be wasted on us. This is all for you."

"I'm… I'm not going to be able to eat all this…" she said.

"Then I guess we'll have leftovers," Fishlegs said eagerly. "I love having leftovers. It feels so… _normal."_

Astrid raised her eyebrows at this, but she couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. Somehow she felt jilted that this vampire had a more normal life than _she_ did. "So," she said, "What was Hiccup like as a kid?"

Hiccup coughed slightly, sending Fishlegs a meaningful glance.

Fishlegs didn't seem to catch on to—or purposefully ignored—the meaning of this glance, and said, eagerly, "Oh, he was a sweet kid. But _annoying._ I mean, he was just always getting in the way and in trouble."

"And this was before he became a vampire?" Astrid asked.

"Oh, he was annoying after he became a vampire too," Fishlegs said. "But over the years he matured and grew up out of his habit of messing up. Kind of."

"Thanks," Hiccup said drily.

"What…" Astrid paused, "Who was responsible for turning the two of you into vampires?"

There was a long silence, before Hiccup said, slowly, "She was a traveler. We actually thought she was a witch originally, but it soon became apparent she was a vampire. She came to the archipelago—that's where we lived, with the intention of Turning people. She had hoped to build her own clan, but it didn't work. She ended up just started different ones."

"Some of the clans died out," Fishlegs said. "As vampires grow in numbers, so do their hunters. And the strain is getting weaker. Now the only clans from our area and time that still exist are the Bogs, Haddocks, Berserkers and Bludvists."

She had heard of all of them. They were major clans as far as the vampire networks go. "You mentioned a 'strain'," Astrid said. "What is that?"

"Oh," Fishlegs sighed, sounding rather put out. "It's what makes us what we are. No vampire was born a vampire. Vampires are sterile, through and through, so we can't procreate like humans. Vampires all start _off_ as human. You see, there's a certain component in a vampire's physiology that contains a certain viral strain… And when a human is infected with it, it rapidly mutates their cells. Changing their digestion system… improving their eyesight at night… speed, strength… sensitivity to sunlight… it's a rather painful process, and one most vampires would have gone without. It can also change the mental state of a vampire. Dagur, for example," he said with a sigh. "He was… he was decent, before he turned into a vampire. Crazy, a little deranged, and definitely not a stellar guy, at least in the beginning, but when he was Turned… it was like the crazy gene in him got multiplied by a thousand. He became extremely unstable and violent. It happens to a lot of vampires, actually," he added, looking sad.

Astrid raised her eyebrows. "So… you're saying… vampires are more like _mutants_ , then some supernatural beings?"

"There's nothing supernatural about us," Hiccup said, somewhat wryly. "Except that there are lots of myths about us, mainly from humans trying to explain us. What makes us what we are is entirely scientific."

"And we're not technically 'mutants'," Fishlegs said, "as what changed us from _human_ to _vampire_ aren't technically _mutations._ At least, we don't think so. We call the changed genes and cells 'Synthetic Mutations', since they don't behave in the same way human mutations do."

"And we've—the vampire community of the world, has poured trillions into secret research to discover a cure. Some kind of reversal to the 'mutations'. But…" Hiccup sighed, now looking and sounding just as put out as Fishlegs was on the subject, "There doesn't seem to be any way."

"If there was a human that was resistant to the virus, we might be able to find some sort of antidote or antiserum," Fishlegs said, shrugging. "But so far there isn't a human who is resistant. And it's illegal to Turn humans for the sake of research—as it should be," he said quickly, when Hiccup sent a glare in his direction.

Astrid frowned, this last bit of information unsettling her, and she suggested they watch some television to change the subject.

They watched TV, until Hiccup and Fishlegs turned on some show that Astrid was not much interested in, while she ate. For all that they lacked the taste buds to properly enjoy human food, they were both decent cooks. Or at least, Fishlegs was.

They were watching the TV in silence, when they heard a knock on the door. Without turning the TV off, Fishlegs rose from his seat, and left the room.

Astrid heard the door open, and then Fishlegs said something which was greeted with a voice that Astrid recognized. She glanced at Hiccup, who sighed and turned the TV off.

Camicazi entered the room, wearing different clothing than she did before. She wore a dress, bright red and hugging her body in all the "right places", with a fashionable navy blue blazer and heels. "I thought I'd stop by and see how the slumber party is going," she said, sinking into Fishlegs' seat, leaving the poor man to come over and sit by Astrid. "How _is_ the slumber party going?"

"It's not a slumber party," Hiccup told her. "And it's fine."

The words 'until you showed up' hung in the air, and caused the corners of Camicazi's lips to turn upwards in a slight smirk. "Astrid," she said, looking at Astrid, "That is your name, isn't it? How is your leg?"

"It's alright," Astrid replied, now wishing she was not wearing pajamas. Especially not ones with small cartoon animals printed on the fabric.

"Good," Camicazi said, before looking back at Hiccup, seeming to have, once again, forgotten Astrid just as quickly as she thought about her. "You seem to have recently eaten… good. I brought more over. I suspect you'll be staying here for some time. How long, do you expect, to live under my protection?"

Hiccup did not seem to like these words, but said, somewhat stiffly, "Just a week or two. Then I'll leave and be out of your hair."

"You can stay as long as you like," Fishlegs told him.

Hiccup ignored him, staring straight at Camicazi.

"Very well," the vampiress said. "Your father contacted me. He seems to have gotten the idea that I am harboring you."

"Is that so," Hiccup said calmly.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Now, I told him I had not seen you in a few years—not since Russia. But I don't think he quite believed me."

There was a tense silence, before she continued, "He knows I am in Los Angeles, so I believe he may be on his way here. If he does make his way here, he may just discover where you are."

Astrid heard Fishlegs gulp, and looked at him in concern.

"Don't worry Fishlegs, my dad won't be mad at you for giving me a place to stay," Hiccup said, not looking at his friend. He kept his eyes trained on Camicazi. "What will you do if he comes?"

"If he comes and sees me in person," Camicazi paused, "I may have no choice but to tell him what he wants to know. You know I am in no position to lie _too much_ to him. As the leader of the Bogs, and as he is the leader of the Haddock Clan, we must keep communications open."

"Of course," Hiccup said slowly.

"But I will try to keep him from discovering the truth for as long as I can manage," she said, with an affirming nod. "I wouldn't want to put you out."

"How kind of you," Hiccup said, and Astrid could detect a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Camicazi turned her gaze to look at Astrid. "I hear you are a hunter," she said. "Quite fascinating, that a hunter should consort with a vampire."

Astrid shrugged.

"If you did not save Hiccup's life, as he has claimed, I would have killed you by now," Camicazi told her, her voice even keel.

Fishlegs and Hiccup shifted slightly, and Astrid suddenly wished she had a gun.

Camicazi's smile widened, somewhat cruelly, somewhat amused. "But no matter. You saved Hiccup's life, and therefore, I am in your debt. Once I have harbored you for a week—my debt to you will be repaid. I then suggest you not… _reveal_ yourself to me again."

She rose from her seat, smiling at Hiccup. "If you change your mind about staying in this tiny… _smelly_ house… Jacobs can bring you to my place."

She turned and left, leaving the three of them to sit in silence.

"Is she always like that?" Astrid asked, turning to look at Hiccup.

He shrugged. "She's not as morally targeted as I am—or even Fishlegs," he said. "She drinks human blood, for example, and has _dreyri_ , and kills humans if need be. I would keep away from her, after she's done protecting you. Though I doubt she'd kill you…" he trailed off, before continuing. "She's a loose bullet. You never know where she'll end up."

"And you and she… you're a couple?" Astrid asked him.

He looked at her in surprise, his face turning dark red.

" _Busted,"_ she heard Fishlegs mutter, grinning a little.

"She's not… well, I suppose by human standards she kind of is my girlfriend… but she's not… I mean, she's not my _girlfriend…_ we're just…" Hiccup trailed off, beet red in the face and looking exceedingly uncomfortable.

"They have a typical vampire relationship," Fishlegs said, speaking up in his friends' stead, who didn't look like he could speak anymore. "Since vampires live so long, it is…" he shrugged, " _Not expected_ for them to be monogamous. Feelings change… moods change… couples take breaks all the time."

"Cami and I aren't a _couple,"_ Hiccup insisted. "And we never were. We just…"

"So, on the train," Astrid said slowly, "When you said something about only sleeping with vampires… it was _her_ you were talking about?"

Hiccup was slowly turning purple. "I mean…" he mumbled, "She and I have… But I've also had…"

"It's okay," she put up her hands, "It's not like you have to explain yourself to _me._ I'm only a human, remember?"

She settled into her seat, as Fishlegs got up to take his original seat. She picked up another taco, eating it, while Hiccup stared at her. "I need you to know," he said, "That Camicazi and I aren't together anymore. We were never 'together', anyway. We just have…"

"A casual relationship," she said, through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah…" he said, slowly.

"I don't see why you need _me_ to know that," Astrid continued, swallowing.

Fishlegs looked uncomfortable at this, and rose from his seat. "I'm going to go get something for you to drink, Astrid," he said, leaving.

Astrid watched him go, before looking at Hiccup, confused.

Hiccup was staring at his hands.

"Hiccup," she said, "I don't _care_ if you had—or have—a relationship with Camicazi. And if you want you can go stay in her pent house or whatever. It'll be better than sleeping here on this couch."

He didn't reply.

She sighed. "As soon as some time goes by, and I can properly defend myself, I'm going to leaving. There's no need for you to stay here just because I'm here."

He looked up at her eyes, his green ones searching hers for something.

"But we'll still be…" he trailed off. "Friends?"

This time it was she who did not reply. She gazed at him, now searching _his_ eyes for something. To decide what it was about her that made him want to be friends with her. Finally, she held out her hand, "Friends," she said.

He reached out and grasped her hand, shaking it firmly but with less strength than he was capable of. Finally, he looked at her hand in his, and froze, dropping her hand as if it burned him.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"You're wrist," he said. "It's…"

She looked down to see that her wrist was black and blue. It had slowly been turning an array of colors over the last few hours. The pain had started too—but the pain meds Camicazi's doctor gave her dealt with much of it. "Oh, that," she said, still looking at the bruises, which were shaped, approximately, like his hand, fingers and all. "That's where you grabbed me earlier today."

"I'm…" his voice cut off, and he took in a ragged breath. "I'm sorry."

"What?" she looked up to his face, to see that a horrified expression waited for her there. "Why?"

"I… I had promised you I wouldn't hurt you… and yet…" he took in a deep breath, "You've gotten hurt the whole time you've been with me, _because_ of me..."

"Hey," she said, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. "Come on, Hiccup. It's not because of you—"

"Yes it is," he nodded his head adamantly. "If you had just killed me—"

"Exactly," she said, "It's my fault I didn't kill you—therefore it's my fault I got hurt—"

"No," he shook his head. "You got hurt because you were protecting _me."_

" _Hiccup,"_ she said, gripping his arm tighter. "I wouldn't have… I don't know… I mean, yeah, if I hadn't gotten mixed up with you, I probably wouldn't be in this condition… but I don't blame _you_. I would… I would do it all again, if I had to."

He looked her in the eyes, surprise in his own. "You really mean that?" he asked her.

"Sure," she shrugged. "I mean, once I set my mind on something I don't let go of it. And besides, I rather like you. Don't tell anyone though," she said quickly. "I don't want people to know I have a vampire for a friend."

"Alright," he said, laughing slightly.

They sat like that for a moment, and she let go of his arm, bringing her hand away, but he grabbed it. His hand moved slowly, so as to not startle her or take her by surprise. He held her hand for a moment, and she could feel her blood pulse against his hand. It was strange… she could not feel the blood pulsing in his own. She knew why this was, vampires had functioning hearts, after all, but their blood pulsed at such a slower and quieter rate that it was often a misconception that their hearts did not beat at all.

Finally, he looked up at her, leaning towards her.

She realized with a shock that he was going to kiss her. She felt her blood in her ears as his mouth neared hers. His lips parted slightly, revealing glimpses of white, crooked teeth—Her heart sped up, and just as she quickly pulled her hand away from him, scooting down the length of the couch as quickly as she could away from him. Fishlegs entered the room, carrying a glass of some colorful liquid.

Hiccup opened his eyes, staring at her, perplexed.

"What's… what's going on?" Fishlegs asked, looking from one of them to the other.

"Nothing," Astrid said quickly, not looking at Hiccup.

Her heart was still racing. Her fight or flight responses raging within her. She wanted to flee. She needed to get as far away from Hiccup as possible. He was dangerous… he was a _vampire_.

Memories of her childhood—of that fateful day… of the fire and blood and the barred teeth inching towards her, impossibly strong hands gripping at her body to hold her still… _teeth sinking in…_

"Astrid!"

Hiccup's voice brought her out of her thoughts, looking over to him. He was gazing at her with a worried look on his face. His hand reached for her, but she quickly slapped it away, standing up. "I'm going to my room," she choked out, hurrying out of the living room and down the hall. She closed the door behind her, locking it, and took a ragged breath.

After a moment, she walked to the bed and sat down.

She closed her eyes, focusing on steadying her breathing, but found that she could not do it. Her heart refused to calm. Her blood raged through her, making her wish she had a guns so she could fire a few rounds and relieve some stress. She wished her leg was not injured, so she could punch and kick something and relieve the pressure inside her.

She wished she did not have to stay here, in the safety and care of _vampires_.

She had been foolish in thinking that some of them might be different. They were all the same, really.

They were all monsters.

* * *

She dropped to the ground, careful, this time, to land so as to not undo the stitches again. As she snuck through the garden, she came face to face with the burly vampire from before.

"Goin' somewhere?" the woman asked, with a thick Boston accent.

"I'm… I'm just going for a walk," Astrid said.

The vampire looked at her, raising a thick eyebrow. She knew, Astrid knew, that she was _not_ going for a walk. "The Boss has given us strict orders not to let anyone _in_ or _out_ without her permission."

"Well," Astrid said, "She doesn't have to worry about me anymore. I'm not going to stick around and be a nuisance anymore."

The vampire raised the other eyebrow, before sighing. "Hold on."

She took out a smartphone, and texted someone. After a minute—of Astrid tapping her boot against the ground in impatience—a text came in. "The boss says you're free to go," Jacobs said, looking at her now. "I can have someone take you somewhere—"

" _No,"_ Astrid said, shaking her head. "I'm fine, thank you. I just want to be out of here and nowhere near any vampires again."

The vampire's eyebrows raised again, an unamused and unimpressed expression on her face. She put her hand out to motion for Astrid to leave. "I won't tell them what direction you left in," she said.

"Thanks," Astrid said, walking across the yard towards the street. Hiccup and Fishlegs were watching TV, since they did not need to necessarily sleep, and so it was the perfect distraction for her to sneak out.

It was better this way, she knew. It was better that she get out of there before she get too attached. Vampires were dangerous… and she was foolish to think they could be her friends… or even allies.

Besides Juan, Astrid didn't _have_ friends. Not even the hunters could claim that title.

What made her think a _vampire_ could? A vampire that was the very creature she hunted? A vampire whose family was responsible for…

She felt fear make her limbs numb, but forced herself to walk it off, heading towards a bus stop. She had her cash on her—she was thankful she kept that on her person and not in her backpack and duffle bag, wherever they might be. She would get out of Los Angeles, and leave Hiccup behind.

She was better off without him.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Dun dun dun… ;)**

 **So sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to any reviews last chapter… Life got in the way of posting any chapters or responding to people.**

 **Also, I've finished writing this story! Some chapters still need a little work to make sure they're ship shape, but I'm hoping this means I'll be able to have regular updates :)**

 **I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far, and I'll try to get back to you if I can :)**

 **See you next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

Union Station was surprisingly buzzing with activity, despite it being early morning.

Astrid stood ready to get on a train out of Los Angles, feeling very much out of sorts. She did not know where she wanted to go—or where she _should_ go, knowing that no matter where she went, the hunters would hunt _her._

She had bought a gun from a sketchy pawn shop, and some bullets to go with it, but the next chance she got she would get some real weapons. She needed to be able to defend herself from the hunters.

Especially since that was where she had decided to go.

The hunters centralized in the remote woodlands of Oregon. She would go there and appeal to them. To beg for forgiveness. To ask them for mercy. She could probably do that. She could tell them she was coerced. Or that she was using Hiccup to track down the Haddocks' own headquarters. She was sure at least some of them would find her pitiful enough to forgive her. Old Man Naqu certainly would vote in her favor… She _hoped._

She boarded the train, quickly finding a seat, and ate some breakfast. After a few minutes the train departed the station, and the ticket master came around to collect the fares. She continued to eat her breakfast sandwich, feeling shaky from the events of the night before.

She had been so _foolish._

Did she really think Hiccup would be different? That he would be her friend?

And he had tried to _kiss her…_

Memoires of his mouth inches towards her were revived in her mind, mixing with similar, horrifying memories from her childhood. She shuddered, hugging herself, feeling almost sick to her stomach, and fervently wishing she had not just inhaled bacon, eggs and cheese in an onion bagel.

And the worst thing—the _worst_ thing, was that she had _wanted_ to be Hiccup's friend. She had _wanted_ to _kiss_ him. Did that mean she want to be something _more_ than a friend out of him?

She hardly knew him. Even if he was human, it would have been stupid to grow so attached to someone she barely knew. But he was a _vampire._ It was like a rabbit fancying a fox.

She felt disgusted with herself.

Becoming Hiccup's friend went against everything she believed. Everything she stood for.

And it was all a lie.

She _couldn't_ be his friend.

Because eventually, no matter his convictions, he would give into his innermost instinct.

He would kill her.

She needed rest, and so she allowed herself to fall asleep, not having been able to do so before she snuck out of Fishlegs' house.

She woke with a start when she heard a small yelp, and looked out into the aisle to see that a frail old woman had bumped into someone, or rather, someone had bumped into _her,_ who was now shoving the old lady out of the way, and heading straight for her, gun in hand.

Her eyes widened.

 _Joe_.

She sprang out of her seat, grabbing his wrist and twisted his arm around before he had a chance to fire. With his free hand, his pocket knife sliced at her waist, but did not cut through her jacket. She kicked him as hard as she could in the groin.

As he fell to his knees, the other passengers screaming for help, she turned and ran as fast as she could down the length of the train car, opening the door and getting into the next one.

She did this until she reached a car that was empty, the door opening behind her and Joe stormed in. "Fuckin' _bitch,"_ he spat. " _Fucking_ with _vampires_ , now, eh? You stupid little _cun—"_

Astrid fired her gun, hitting him in the leg. It was her signature move: immobilize the target so she had a better chance of landing a killing blow, something she learned to do with vampires. It was surprising he didn't see it coming. He went down on his knees, his leg buckling beneath his weight, his face purple and contorting. She couldn't kill him—not without exacting the revenge of the rest of the hunters. If she wanted any chance of survival, she needed to make sure Joe stayed alive.

"Joe," she said slowly, "I had to do what I did. I didn't have a choice."

He was groaning now, holding his knee as the blood leaked out. He looked up at her, hate in his eyes. "After what happened to you," he hissed, "You _fuck_ with them…"

She took a step backwards, keeping her gun trained on him. "Come on, Joe…" she said, as he lifted his gun up with a shaky arm, pointing it at her. "Don't do this…"

She was just about to fire, before he had the chance to do so to her, when she was splattered with blood. She gasped, looking down as Joe's head rolled up to her feet, a shocked look on his face.

She looked back at his body, which had slowly fallen onto the floor. Blood spurted in an erratic fashion out of his severed neck.

Her hands shook slightly, as she turned around, looking around the empty car, looking for whomever had beheaded the hunter.

"I'm right here," a voice said.

Astrid spun around, pointing her gun at a female vampire.

The vampire was tall and lithe, wearing simple, black clothing, her long black hair a plait down her shoulder, her lips plump and soft, and her face angled. Her eyes, light green, looked almost… empty. There was little life in them. In her hand was a glaive of some sort, which Astrid assumed was the culprit for Joe's beheading.

"Who are you?" Astrid demanded.

The vampire shrugged her shoulders, stepping towards her. "Who I am I is not important," she said.

Astrid steadied her arms, her gun still pointed at the woman's chest. "What are you doing here?"

"Because we can't reach Hiccup," the other woman said. "The Queen Bitch, as my master so _eloquently_ calls her, keeps him on quite the lock and key. But _you,"_ she tut tutted. "You walked out free for the taking. So I'm _taking."_

Astrid fired her gun as the other woman took another step. The vampire out a cry as the bullet grazed her shoulder, and swung her glaive, hitting Astrid over the head. Astrid did not remember hitting the ground.

* * *

Hiccup opened his eyes. He had slept lightly, as he was prone to do, not ever having the privilege of a deep and restful sleep, and sat up. It was strange, and wonderful, to be able to wake without the gnawing hunger that ravaged his body this past month and a half.

"Good morning!" he heard Fishlegs call from the kitchen. "I'm making puffed pancakes for Astrid. Do you think she'll like them?"

"What time is it?" Hiccup asked, yawning. He reached for the remote, turning on the TV, and tossed the blanket off himself, swinging his legs over the side of the couch, and stood up.

"About nine," Fishlegs answered. "I'm almost ready to take it out of the oven… and it's best hot. I hate to wake her up but do you mind?"

"Sure," Hiccup said sleepily, walking past the kitchen and down the hall to Astrid's door. He lifted his hand to knock, but froze.

He didn't hear a heartbeat within the room.

He grabbed the handle of the door, but it was locked. He gave that up and threw his shoulder against the door. It opened, nearly falling off its hinges, and he walked into the room, looking around wildly.

To his relief, Astrid was not dead.

But to his horror, she _was_ gone.

"Fishlegs?" he called out.

Fishlegs had already appeared at the door, summoned by the sound of his house being vandalized. "Where did she go?" Fishlegs asked, "She's not in the rest of the house, I would have noticed."

"Out of the way," a curt voice interupted, and Fishlegs was unceremoniously shoved aside as Jacobs entered the room. She put a hand on her waist. "What's the matter, Hiccup?"

"Where's Astrid?" he asked.

Jacobs raised an eyebrow. "Gone," she said. "Left around two in the morning."

"What?" Hiccup stared at her, horrified. "You just let her go?"

"I couldn't have forced her to stay," Jacobs shrugged.

"But Camicazi—"

"Boss gave it the go, otherwise I _would_ have forced her to stay," Jacobs interrupted.

Hiccup stared at her, anger growing in his chest. "She _what?"_ he asked, his voice deadly quiet.

Jacobs opened her mouth to reply, but Hiccup moved past her, reaching the front door and pulling it open. He made it halfway down the path to the street when another one of Camicazi's guards stopped him.

"Hiccup," Jacobs came out of the house after him, "If you want to see the boss I can bring you—"

"Yes, I want to see _the boss,"_ Hiccup said, rounding on her. "My _friend_ just left, with…" his hands balled into fists, and he gritted his teeth. "Take me to Camicazi. I need to look at her face when I say this."

Jacobs nodded, and together they walked to the car.

* * *

She put up a slender finger to keep him from talking, her eyes glued to the papers in front of her. They looked like ancient documents. Hiccup wouldn't be surprised if they were forgeries. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised if Camicazi had stolen some priceless cultural heirlooms.

Normally, he would humor her, but now he was not in the mood. "Camicazi," he said, "You let Astrid leave?"

She looked up, taking off the glasses that magnified her vision. "Hiccup," she said, "You can't expect me to keep her hostage. As a woman myself, I cannot condone such barbarity."

"That's not what I…" he took in a deep breath. "I mean you let her go without sending someone with her? The hunters are after her—and Dagur's people probably know she was helping _me…_ And you let her just waltz off with no protection—"

"Of course I didn't," she said, returning her gaze to the papers. "I sent people with her. _She_ doesn't know this, of course."

"What?" he said, dumbfounded. "Jacobs couldn't have mentioned that?"

Camicazi shrugged.

"Where are they going?" Hiccup asked.

"Depends," Camicazi said. "According to my girls, she was on a train to Portland."

" _Was?"_ Hiccup asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes, as I suspected, Dagur's people _were_ waiting for an opportunity for one of you to be on your own. She was taken. My girls are tracking them now. I hope the trail will lead to Dagur's holding—"

Hiccup walked to her desk, putting his hands on the table. "Did you let Astrid go for the sake of using her as bait?" he asked, slowly and carefully.

Camicazi looked up from her papers to meet Hiccup's gaze. "Why does that bother you?" she asked.

"Because she's my _friend—"_

" _Is she?"_ Camicazi rose from her seat, looking him squarely in the eye. "Might I remind you that she left? Without a word? Or perhaps you wish she was something more? You forget you and I are the same kind, Hiccup. I can sense in you that you want her. Why _didn't_ you make her your _dreyri?"_

"Because she's a _person,"_ Hiccup said.

"So?" Camicazi shrugged. "I've had them before. And you wouldn't have to kill her. I've slept with humans and not killed them. Are you afraid you'll remember how _good_ human blood is—"

"Shut up," Hiccup turned away from her, glaring at the door.

"It doesn't matter," Camicazi said. "The human girl will serve her purpose, and I promise you, my girls will make sure no real harm comes to her."

"If Dagur is the one who kidnapped her—or his people—then I highly doubt you'll be able to keep that promise," he snapped.

She hummed her agreement, and came around to sit against the edge of the desk alongside him. "I'm sorry, that you were so attached to her," she said. "But I really couldn't pass a chance like this up. War is brewing Hiccup. A war _you_ started, or at least, a flame you fostered. _I'm_ just trying to do my part in ending it."

"For whose benefit?" Hiccup asked. "The greater good? Or yourself?"

She didn't reply straight away. " _My_ intentions are neither here nor there," she said. "Your incessant need for not putting humans in danger is going to get yourself killed one day."

" _Your_ incessant opinion that humans are disposable is going to get _yourself_ in trouble one day," he replied.

He felt her hand on his arm, as she moved around to stand before him. "Let's not fight," she said. "War _is_ brewing, Hiccup. And you and I? We need to stand by each other's side. Just as we've done for the last millennium."

He stared at his feet, and she grasped his chin in her hands, lifting his head up to meet his gaze. "I will, _personally_ , make sure Astrid does not die," she said. "Nor will I let Dagur Turn her."

He nodded, and allowed her to kiss him. It was not a passionate kiss typical of them, but it was meaningful. A few moments later, after they separated, she called for Gladys to enter the room. "Gladys will contact your father and tell him you are here. It is time for you and him to reunite. Avoiding your family will not protect them any longer. The Vein is buzzing with the intents of the Berserker Clan and the Bludvist Clan. They're going to come after our own clans." She grasped his hand. "Let us fight against them, together, like we always have done."

He nodded, and she smiled, before giving instructions to Gladys and leaving to assemble a squad to go after Astrid.

Gladys turned to look at him, peering at him with those peculiar glasses that she didn't really need anymore. "When you are ready," she said, "Jacobs will return you to Mr. Ingerman's house. You'll wait there until your father arrives."

Hiccup glanced at her, and nodded, pushing himself off the desk and following her out of the room.

* * *

Astrid woke with a start, doused with iced water. She struggled for a moment, her hands caught in something above her head. After a moment, she realized that her hands were bound above her, and that she was dangling, her feet barely able to touch the ground, by a chain.

The female vampire from the train stood before her, holding a bucket, looking at her with a stony expression.

"Well, well…" a haughty voice said, and someone stepped up beside her. Another vampire, this one had red hair and a scraggly beard. He looked, to Astrid, as if he was, undoubtedly, certifiably insane. "If it isn't Hiccup's precious _dreyri."_

"And who are you?" Astrid asked, looking around the dingy, dark, moldy room. They seemed to be in some sort of basement. Flickering florescent lights shone in the ceiling, casting an eerie unnatural glow on all of them. There were five vampire guards.

"My name is Dagur," the male vampire said, opening his arms wide. "And _you_ are Astrid, are you not?"

She didn't reply.

"Doesn't matter," Dagur shook his head, approaching her so they were face to face. She had to look down at him, for she was taller than him, especially with her dangling in such a way. "The important thing is that _you_ are _mine_ now."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Surprised to hear that? Well, I can assure you… you _are._ You might have belonged to Hiccup before… It was _his_ mistake of not killing you before now that's put you in this mess. But I can appreciate a man's desire to _play_ with his food." He grabbed her chin, shaking her head with such force her entire body shook violently.

He let go, and she gasped in pain, knowing she would have a bruise on her chin.

"I'm going to make you _hurt,"_ he whispered. "I'll admit, I'm going to enjoy it. And then…. I'm going to do things to you to make you scream… and _then…"_ he smiled a wicked smile, "Just when you are on the brink of death… when the sweet _release_ of death is _just_ around the corner to save your soul, I'm going to Turn you… and then you'll be _mine_ _forever. And nothing Hiccup can do will change that."_

He grunted when she brought her feet up and kicked him hard in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards from the shock.

One of the guards rushed forward to steady him, though the female made no move to help him. Dagur spluttered slightly, before he was upon her, hand grasping her neck just below her jaw, fingers pressing painfully into her throat muscles. She choked out, gasping for air. "I'm going to have fun breaking you," he whispered in her ear, before letting go of her. "No one touches her until I get back," he ordered. "She's _mine."_

He left, two of the guards leaving with him.

The female vampire stood in the center of the room, watching Astrid.

After some time, Astrid's throat began to work again, and she could breathe. "Nice boss," she croaked.

The other woman's mouth twitched into a frown, and she gripped her glaive tighter. Finally, she turned and walked from the room. The door locked behind her, and Astrid was left with the remaining three guards to wait until Dagur returned.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 _ **In this story, the VMP Virus (that turns people into vampire like creatures) can sometimes exacerbate certain genetic and physiological components that some humans have that can increase an individual's likelihood towards violence. Towards the end of his life as a human, Dagur changed for the better. Unfortunately, the VMP Virus had a tragically negative effect on him. It mutated those components of his DNA, and increased his mental instability and proneness to violence. As such he's not the same Dagur we see in Season 3 of RTTE, and the things he does in this story are not entirely reflective of how I see him in canon, it's just how he is in this story due to the circumstances of his situation.**_

 _ **As always, thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far!**_

 _ **See you soon!**_


	9. Chapter 9

He heard his father's voice before he heard Jacob's, loudly demanding to be let through. "Oh, I think I hear the timer going off," Fishlegs said, quickly making an escape into the kitchen. Hiccup stood up, as two large persons entered the room.

His father was glaring at him with a look strong enough to wither the most seasoned war general.

Gobber, on the other hand, just looked relieved.

"What… in _all of Thor's good earth..._ " his father muttered, before closing the distance between them and pulling Hiccup into a chokingly strong hug. "I thought you had _died."_

"Well, I didn't," Hiccup coughed out, and his father let go of him to firmly grasp his arms.

"What were you thinking?" Stoick looked down at him with a serious expression. "Hiccup… you know the code. You know you can't mess with other people's _dreyri."_

"I know Dad, it's just… he was going to…" Hiccup shook his head.

"Gladys told me," Stoick said, "That Dagur has kidnapped one of _yours._ " He paused. "You can't imagine my surprise at that."

"She's not my _dreyri,"_ Hiccup said firmly. "Dagur—and everyone else, apparently, just thinks she is. I mean, I kind of started it, but I swear, she's _not._ "

"And who is _she?"_ his father asked, sitting down. Gobber did as well as Hiccup.

"She's just my friend—if she's even that," Hiccup said. "She saved my life."

"Gladys said she was a hunter."

Hiccup glanced at his father, and nodded. "She is. That's actually how I met. She was trying to kill me. And then she decided to save me… and then we were on the run… that was a few days ago. And then two days ago she _ran_ away without even a word. I mean, I would have thought she would have at least said _goodbye…"_

His father and Gobber were both silent.

"Hiccup," Gobber said slowly, "Did you… _do_ you… happen to like this girl?"

Hiccup refused to look up at them. "I… I guess so," he said, shrugging a little too large a shrug for his small frame. "I mean, I do like her. But I don't think she likes me back. It's probably because of what I am…" he sat back in his seat, staring at his hands. "She hates vampires."

"Then why did she agree to help you?" Stoick asked him, confused.

"I don't know!" Hiccup said. "She just… I don't understand her. Anyway, she's gone, and Dagur has her… and Camicazi won't let me out of this house."

"Well," Stoick said, heaving a sigh. "According to word in the Vein, she has the right now. Dagur and Drago have a price on your head. They want you dead. And they're willing to exchange the girl for you."

Hiccup looked up at him in surprise.

"Now," his father said, putting up a hand to stop him, "Don't get any ideas now. We're not going to hand you over just because some human is in danger—"

"She's not just some _human,_ Dad," Hiccup said quietly. "I _really_ like her."

His dad didn't reply, just gazing at him silently.

"More or less than the other girls you've liked?" Gobber asked.

"That's not a fair question," Hiccup retorted. "Regardless, I'm going to go after her."

"For Heaven's sake, Hiccup," his dad snapped. "Don't be ridiculous. Leave the rescuing to Camicazi. She's _good_ at that sort of thing. You don't have the heart to do what needs to be done. No, I'm sending you home, where you'll be _safe."_

"But—"

"You're a thousand year old man, Hiccup," his dad said, rising from his seat, "You should learn to follow orders. Now come with us, we're heading to the airport."

Hiccup glared up at his dad, before slowly rising. "Fine," he said, "But I want _our_ people to bring Astrid home too. She'll be safe with us. The hunters want to kill her too—because she _helped me,_ remember. I owe it to her for that at least."

"I'll see that it is done," Stoick said, and Hiccup followed them out of the living room. "And I'll deal with _you_ later," Stoick said as they passed the kitchen.

"Right—right—looking forward to it," Fishlegs said, laughing nervously.

They got into the car, and the driver closed the door.

As they started off towards a private airfield, Hiccup looked out the window, at the sunny scenery going by. He hoped that Camicazi was successful in rescuing Astrid. She _had_ sworn that she would.

But somehow he didn't have the faith to believe she would keep to her word.

* * *

Astrid vomited.

Except that she no longer had anything in her stomach.

So it was more of a dry heave than anything else.

Gagging on her own spit, she struggling to breathe, before Dagur kicked her again in the chest. "Like that?" he asked, kicking her again, "Like that, eh? Not so nice when someone does it to _you_ , is it?"

She would have kicked him back, if they hadn't secured her feet to the ground with a chain.

"Give me the whip, I want to have another go with it," Dagur said, suddenly leaving her side and grabbing the whip from one of the guards. He returned, dangling it in front of her. "Remember this?"

She smiled widely at him, her teeth coated with blood. "Do you have memory problems, Dagur?" she asked, tauntingly, "You used that on me just an hour ago. Maybe you should see a neurologist."

Dagur's smile dropped away, and he took a step back. "I was just going to use this once, to _remind_ you, but I guess you don't _need_ reminding. And _this_ time, I _am_ going to make you cry."

As the whip cut against her bare chest, she gritted her teeth so tightly she was sure she cracked a tooth. She felt the whip three more times, before she felt it no more, and everything turned hazy.

She was doused again with cold water, and came to with a start, struggling against her chains in a desperate attempt to fight back. She heard crazed laughter, and glared at Dagur. "I'd love to hear what Hiccup would have to say if he could see you _now,"_ Dagur said, grinning wildly at her. "I think he would throw you to the dogs if he could see how _ugly_ you are. Oh, but be thankful I didn't do permanent damage to your pretty face… When I Turn you… I want to flaunt you in front of everyone…"

She spat at him, and he wiped it off his face with a grimace. "I think she's ready, don't you, Heather?" he asked the woman, who said nothing to this, her face just as steely as it was before. Dagur approached her, and Astrid tried to pull herself farther away from him.

This was something she could not endure. Whips… kicks… scalpels… Tasers… all manner of torture she could suffer through. But _this…_ "Please," she choked out, as Dagur grasped her neck gently, turning her head from side to side, deciding on left or right.

"That's right!" Dagur said gleefully. " _Finally,_ you understand what you're supposed to do! Now, if only you had begged _earlier_ , we would have gotten this part done already." He came close to her, and she could feel his breath on her neck.

Astrid stared at nothing in particular. She stared at the guards. She stared at the flickering lights in the ceiling. She stared at Heather, whose eyes were squeezed shut. Finally, she closed her eyes, lips trembling, childhood trauma trickling up her spine like bile.

She heard herself scream as Dagur's teeth sank into her neck. She felt pain—pain she had not experienced since she was a child. For long minutes, she felt her body growing weaker as Dagur drank her blood, before he drew away, looking at her with pleasure, wiping the blood of his mouth.

She hung there, gasping and panting, her strength slowly returning.

Dagur stepped back away from her, to observe, and she saw him frown.

"What the fuck…" he muttered. "Why isn't she…? Heather! Open your eyes!"

The female vampire did so. Dagur approached her, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at Astrid. "Tell me that doesn't look odd," Dagur said loudly in her ear. "Why the _hell_ isn't she Turning? Why. The. _Hell._ Isn't. She—"

The door to the room opened, and another vampire walked in.

Dagur's head whipped towards him, a look of upmost hate disfiguring his features. "Ryker," he said, crossing his arms. "What are you—"

"I'm not here to discuss trivial matters with you," the new vampire, Ryker, said. "I'm here for her."

Dagur stared at him. "What? No… she's mine. And I already Claimed her."

Ryker raised his eyebrows, looking at Astrid. "She hasn't Turned," he pointed out. "Have you lost your touch?"

"I did Turn her—she just didn't _Turn,"_ Dagur exploded. "I swear, I did—somethings wrong with her."

Ryker walked over to Astrid, and she struggled to move away from him. He examined her neck, and when he moved away, he looked shocked. "Well, that settles it," he said. "She's coming with me."

"Now see here, Ryker," Dagur said irritably. "Whether or not I Turned her yet is beside the point. The _point_ is that she's _mine._ You can't take her without offering me something—"

"You took her from Hiccup," Ryker reminded him.

"Out of _retaliation,"_ Dagur explained.

"Right," Ryker said, slowly and as if speaking to a small child. "Well, Drago is nothing but abiding to the code. Let us go to your offices and discuss a price, shall we?"

Dagur glared at him, before shrugging wildly. "Fine," he said, a loud whine in his voice. He, Ryker, and Heather walked out of the room. With them finally gone, Astrid felt the energy finally leaving her body. She had been tense, not letting the pain of Dagur's attacks show visibly.

She felt herself growing hazy again, her surroundings blurring as the pain ebbed and flowed in and out of her consciousness. When she heard the door open, she woke, startled into alertness.

The door opened, although Astrid could not see who had opened it. Heather stepped in, looking at the two guards.

Heather turned slowly to look at Astrid, and Astrid met her gaze with an unflinching one of her own. Heather was a few inches in front of her within seconds, punching her in the stomach, and then punching her, lighter this time, in the mouth.

Astrid nearly gasped, and when Heather stepped away, turning and walking from the room, Astrid felt sure that the vampire had knocked one of her front teeth out. After a moment, she realized that the strange object in her mouth was _not_ a tooth, but something cold and metallic.

A key.

The guards were distracted, urgently whispering to each other in their shock at Heather's disregard for Dagur's order that no one touch Astrid before he returned, and Astrid pulled herself upwards, as far as the chain attached to her feet would allow, until her fingers could grasp the key, removing it from her mouth. She hung back down, exhausted.

One of the guards glanced her way, curious as to why she had seemingly done a useless pull up, and then resumed his conversation with his fellow guard.

She worked slowly on the shackles attached to her wrist, hoping that when they were released, she would not collapsed onto the ground once she hit it. With a click, she fell to the ground, managing to stay on her feet.

The two guards jumped into action, startled by this. One aimed his gun at her, but did not fire, and the other appeared by her side and tried to grab her arms. She quickly disarmed him, knocking him unconscious and then shooting the other. She took a moment to be thankful that they were under orders not to harm her.

She jumped up, her body aching and screaming with pain, and grabbed the key from the dangling shackles, and unlocked those that bound her feet. Her wrists and ankles were bleeding, but she hoped they would hold up until she got out of here.

She made it to the door, which Heather had left open, and down the hall, before two guards appeared in front of her. One she managed to shoot, the other ripped the gun out of her arms, ready to smash it over her head, when he grunted and fell to the ground.

Whatever had killed him had worked too quickly for her blurry and exhausted eyes to keep up with. It was then, after a moment, that Astrid saw who exactly had entered the hall. "Camicazi?" she asked, the name slurring slightly.

"That's _Ze Great_ Camicazi to you, human," the female vampire said, walking up to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "And we've got to get out of here—someone will notice that you're gone. Come on, lean on me. Ha… _Lean on me…_ You know, I remember when that song was released—it's the strangest things you remember—"

"Do you have anything I can wear?" Astrid muttered, for her clothes were torn, and she was missing a shirt, as they walked, half ran, out of the room and down the long hall.

"I'm sure we can get you something in the chopper," Camicazi said, "I didn't realize they were going to strip you down. I'd let you have my coat but… don't have time to pause to hand it over."

They rounded a corner, and came face to face with two more vampires. Camicazi let go of her, as she drew her knives and attacked one. The other came for Astrid, to retain her, and Astrid twisted his arms, shooting him between the eyes with the gun she had taken from the guard.

He dropped to the ground, incapacitated but not dead. Not yet. It would take a few minutes for his brain to lose function, and sometime later for his organs to shut down.

Camicazi took off her down jacket, handing it over to Astrid, who put it on quickly. "Let's get out of here," she said, taking Astrid's hand and taking off down the corridor. They had just gotten to the ground level, when alarms started going off. She heard Camicazi swear under her breath, before hurrying along. _"Irene, Yuki, get ready."_

Astrid quickly realized she was speaking into some kind of com. Someone busted through a door, a large, muscular Asian woman with a Mohawk. "This way, Boss," she said, nodding over her shoulder.

Camicazi nodded, pulling Astrid along. The three ran through, and Astrid saw many dead bodies—all belonging to vampires—on the ground, as they went. The door that led outside was blasted to pieces, and they hurried through, where a chopper was waiting for them. "On, on!" Camicazi said, practically picking Astrid up and tossing her into the chopper. The chopper lifted up into the air, and began to fly away.

"Boss!" she heard the Asian woman sharply.

"Shit!" Camicazi turned to Astrid, "Hold on, Babe."

Astrid was prepared to reprimand the woman for this informality, but instead grabbed onto a handle on the side of the chopper. The pilot of the helicopter swerved the chopper back and forth, evading _something_ that was sent after them. After some time of this, the airspace became more peaceful, and they were flying neutrally.

Camicazi turned towards her, opening the jacket to peer at the damage done. She whistled, and touched Astrid's neck with two, slender fingers. Astrid struggled to remove her hands, but her energy had now wholly left her. Everything seemed numb and aching at the same time. Her vision was blurring in and out, and she soon realized it was her _consciousness_ that seemed to want to escape her _._ She was aware of Camicazi speaking to her, but the words were lost on her.

The next thing she was aware of was being carried off the helicopter. She saw a large house—some sort of mansion—bigger than she had ever seen before, more akin to a palace, than anything else. There were woods and large trees surrounding them. And she saw someone running towards them. Someone tall and lanky with a mop of auburn hair on their head. The person took her into his arms, looking down at her with an expression that confused her.

Then all turned to darkness.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **See you next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

She didn't know if she wanted to wake up. She was comfortable. _So_ comfortable. Which didn't make sense, because she _knew_ she should be in more pain than was tolerable.

Ah…

There it was.

The aching feeling. The rawness of fresh wounds.

She could feel it everywhere.

Even her neck.

Her eyes opened in a flash, memories flashing through her mind.

Dagur biting her. Hiccup almost kissing her. The monster that took her family and…

She heard someone move slightly, and turned her head to look to the side. Sitting in a plush chair was Hiccup. He was looking at her with the same expression that he had when he had taken her from Camicazi. A look of upmost worry.

He said nothing, merely looked at her, searching her eyes for something, and she looked away, to the other side of the room. She was in a room that was much finer than she had ever seen before. Reddish brown wood paneled walls, fine Persian carpets, high-end handmade furniture, French doors that led to a balcony that looked over a massive forest. "Where am I?" she asked, and didn't recognize her voice. It was throaty and hoarse. She cleared her throat a little, and said, "Your home?"

Her voice sounded a little more normal, but not quite.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said.

She looked back at him, and tried to sit up. Her entire body protested, and she gasped out. Hiccup was out of his seat in an instant, gently pushing her back down onto the many pillows. "Take it easy," he said softly, "You need to rest. You're… you're in pretty bad shape."

"Yeah, I know," she said, wincing slightly, after he had slowly gotten back into his seat, "I was there."

"You…" Hiccup trailed off, staring at his hands. "I'm sorry, Astrid."

She met his eyes, and saw that the tortured look had returned to them.

"This is all my fault…" he began.

"Hiccup," she tried to cut him off, but he continued as if he did not hear her.

"Dagur only went after you because of _me,"_ he said. "If I had…" he trailed off, lost in his thoughts. "Why did you leave?" His eyes searched hers again, and she was disappointed to find that there was a hint of anger in his own. "Astrid, that was… stupid. And foolish. And you could have been _killed._ _Or worse."_

"I'm a hunter, Hiccup," she said, her throat still sore. "I think I can handle myself."

He looked like he could almost laugh, but grew serious again. "I saw what he did to you, Astrid. When Gothi was fixing you up—I saw what he did. I wouldn't call that 'handling yourself'."

She shrugged, and winced in pain.

Nothing was said between them for a long while, before Hiccup spoke again, his voice halting and anguished. "I'm just glad…" he said, "That he didn't try to _Turn_ you. But he did try to drink your blood, and for that I'm sor…"

"He did try to Turn me," she said, not looking at him. Her own voice had shuddered at these words, memories from her childhood raging through her mind like a nightmare that refuses to be forgotten hours after waking.

"What?"

"He tried to, but it didn't work," she said, eyes trained ahead of her at the large TV in the cabinet on the other side of the room. "That's when the Ryker guy came in, and when he realized _that_ … he said Drago wanted to buy me. Or something."

She glanced at Hiccup, to see that his eyes were wide, staring at her as if he did not quite believe her. "Are you sure?" he asked, a strange component to his voice.

"Yes," she said quietly. "And it… it…" she took in a deep breath. "It happened before. The day my family died. The vampire that did it tried to Turn me then too."

He took in a sharp breath. "I'll be right back," he said, springing out of his chair with feline grace and leaving the room quickly. After a few minutes, he returned, sitting down and looking at her eagerly. "Are you sure about this, Astrid?"

"I'm quite sure," she said tartly. "Old Man Naqu was the one who stitched me up after the attack… but he didn't tell the other hunters about what exactly happened. Said it would be bad if anyone found out."

Hiccup took in another deep breath, looking… _excited._ "Astrid," he said, his voice forcibly steady, "You realize what this _means,_ right?"

She shrugged. She knew what it meant. After talking with Fishlegs and Hiccup at the former's house, of course she knew.

"This…" Hiccup stood up, pacing around her bed in an agitatedly excited flurry. "If you really are immune to the virus… then… you could be the key—with only your consent of course—to finding some way to _stop_ the mutation, or maybe even rever—"

"Hiccup," she interrupted.

He stopped, freezing, turning to look at her. "Sorry," he said quickly. "It's just… we've been looking for someone like you—if you really are immune—for… for as long as there's been vampires." He took a small, ragged breath. "This is huge, Astrid."

"Yeah, well," she said, sitting up and leaning against the pillows. "As soon as I can get these bandages removed, I'm going to clear out of here."

"And where will you go?" Hiccup asked. "The hunters are after you—and now Dagur _and_ Drago are after you. This is the only place you'll be safe—"

"Safe?" she demanded. " _Safe,_ Hiccup? You think the Haddock Clan is where I'll be _safe?_ Need I remind you that I'm a _human?"_

"Yeah, but you're my friend—" he began.

"We're not _friends,_ Hiccup," she said forcibly. " _Us_ being friends goes against the very laws of nature."

He stared at her, perfectly still. "But—"

"You," she said, "Are a vampire. _I'm_ a human. The max our relationship could ever be is prey and predator. If you weren't a vampire, _maybe_ —but that doesn't matter. _I'd much rather_ face Dagur and Drago's forces than _stay here."_

"Why?" he asked, brows furrowed. "What could possibly be so horrible about being here that—"

" _Because!"_ she clenched her fists, before heaving a breath. She refused to look at him. "Because it was someone from _your_ clan who killed my family," she hissed out through clenched teeth. "Because it was someone from _your_ clan that tried to Turn me originally. Because it was someone from _your clan_ who made me who I am today." She looked up at him, eyes stinging, mouth twisted into an ugly scowl, "You can't blame me from wanting to get as far away from you guys as possible."

Hiccup was, to her eyes, perfectly still. His face did not move, his expression completely void of emotion. Finally, she saw him take in a long, slow breath. "Astrid…" he began, "I swear, no one from my family or clan would have—"

"Don't—"

"No, listen to me," he interrupted. "Yes, there are members of my clan who drink human blood, sometimes directly from a human—but no one has _killed_ a human in cold blood since… well, since World War II. My father didn't want unnecessary bloodshed, or the attention that comes with it. Most of my clan gets their nutrients from blood banks, or animals. And if someone from my clan _had_ attacked a human family—a bunch of civilians, if I gather correctly, I would have heard about it. Because that person would have been dealt with. And if they had tried to Turn someone against their will—a _child,_ no less, they would have been…" he stopped himself, gathering his thoughts, and continued, "It wasn't someone from the Haddock Clan, Astrid. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. You'll be safe here—"

"Say it wasn't someone from your clan," Astrid said, her voice sharp and shaking, "You're all still _vampires._ I'm still a _human._ And there's no guarantee that something won't happen. You think I can trust any of you? Even you, Hiccup?"

"Astrid—"

"—you think I don't know it's only a matter of time before _you_ give in and—"

"Astrid!"

She stopped talking at the volume of his voice.

"Astrid," he said, quieter, "Please…" he closed his eyes. "I know that you don't trust me. I know it's too much to ask you to. But _please_ , just stay here. For a few weeks. Until you've recovered and we've dealt with the Bludvists and Berserkers. _Please,_ Astrid."

She didn't trust herself to speak.

He walked around the bed, to sit on his chair. He looked at her earnestly. " _Please,_ Astrid."

"Fine," she choked out, her nails nearly cutting into the palms of her hands.

They sat in silence, before he said, his own voice somewhat shaky, "I'm sorry I… I realize now why you reacted the way you did—when I tried to… _uh…_ _kiss you."_

She glanced at him, and saw that he was blushing again, but more in humiliation than fondness of a memory.

"It's fine," she said, shrugging again. "If you were a human, I probably would have let you kiss me."

He let out a short, forced laugh, before sighing despondently. "It's been a while, since I got to know a human," he said. "It's hard to remind myself that you're off limits."

"Especially since you already have a girlfriend," Astrid pointed out.

Hiccup's eyebrows rose in confusion.

"Camicazi," Astrid said.

His eyes widened, and he started laughing.

"What?" Astrid demanded.

"Look, I told you, Camicazi and I are just—" he started laughing again, before suddenly stopping and turning red. "She didn't say anything when she was rescuing you, did she?"

"No," Astrid said slowly, "But I could tell when I saw you two interacting with _each other._ You may deny being in a steady, committed relationship with her, but you _do_ have _some kind_ of relationship with her. _"_

He gave an awkward laugh, and said, "We kind of… we've never really _dated,_ or past equivalencies of dating. It's more that as a vampire, it can be difficult to stay interested in one person for eternity. So we…" he shrugged. "Sometimes we're together, sometimes we see other people… sometimes we're just friends. Vampires tend have loose definitions of relationships, because we live so long."

"Oh," she said. "I guess I was just in the 'sometimes you see other people' part of the cycle, huh."

"That's not—what I…" he trailed off. "I really like you, Astrid," he said, quite earnestly. "If I were human—or you were a vampire, I would definitely… see if something could happen between us. We both know, as it is, things can't really… but anyway, I'm sorry that I frightened you. If I had known your history, I would never have presumed—and I shouldn't have anyway… but…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it," she said, shrugging.

Another awkward silence fell between them, before he hurried into a different topic. "I called Fishlegs while I was in the hall. He ran a lot of our research on finding a cure for the virus before we stopped looking for it. Anyway, he's on his way here, and, if you're willing to consent to an exam and testing, you might just…" he looked hopeful. "You might just find a way for _us_ —that is, us vampires, to… live a normal life."

She raised her eyebrows. "I thought vampires _enjoyed_ being vampires," she said.

"That's bull," he said adamantly. "Most vampires would give anything to sleep with whom they want without the possibility of accidentally killing them, or to be able to eat whatever they want without digestive or allergen issues, or to be able to go out in sunlight without adverse issues. _Sure,_ you'll get those that like the power trip and positive effects of being a vampire, such as the speed and strength and fear mongering. But… Most people—vampires—would _give anything_ to be human again. To be a _real_ human again."

The way he said these words spoke volumes to Astrid. She knew he was among those—that would give anything for a chance of normalcy. "Alright," she said. "I'll—I consent, or whatever."

He grinned at her, and rising from his chair, began pacing again. "You don't understand how amazing this is, Astrid," he said. "If you really _are_ immune, you could be our… our salvation."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she said, amused.

"I'm serious," he was at her side again, sitting on the edge of the bed. "This is absolutely incredible—"

She heard squeaking, and scratching on wood.

"Oh, Toothless," Hiccup said, springing off the bed and walking to the door. He opened it, and immediately the tiny dragon flew in, landing on her legs.

Toothless quickly walked up her length, sniffing her face and making soft mewling noises.

"He's just excited to see you," Hiccup said, walking back to them.

She gave Toothless a few pats, unsure and unused to petting something like _him._

"Anyway, you need rest," Hiccup said. "Come on, Toothless."

The dragon protested, and finally Hiccup had to take him into his arms and walk away. He paused at the door, turning to look at Astrid. "I'll be back with some food," he said. "Try and get some rest."

She nodded, and he left, gently closing the door after him.

She sighed and settled back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. She didn't know what she was doing—being here amongst vampires. It was the most dangerous thing she could do. And she wasn't sure she believed Hiccup that his family and clan were not responsible for her own family's death. She _wanted_ to believe him, but…

She decided she would need to, for at least a short while. She was in no condition to be on her own. She needed to build up her strength, so she could fight against both the hunters and the vampires properly.

But most of all, she wanted a chance to get Dagur.

She wanted to kill him with her own hands.

She could still feel the whip across her chest and stomach and back. The feel of Dagur's box cutter creating diagrams and mandalas across her skin. She could still feel the agony of the Tasers. She shuddered. She was thankful Hiccup was gone from the room now. She wouldn't have allowed herself to cry in front of him—she learned from childhood not to cry in front of people. The hunters never tolerated it, nor ever offered her a comforting shoulder to cry on. She learned to do without a hand to help her through tough times. When her family had been killed, and she had been taken in by the hunters, she had been told firmly not to cry about it. To ruminate on her anger instead, and channel that anger towards killing as many vampires as possible. But to never show the weakness of grief.

But she couldn't do it now.

She shook as the sobs wracked her body, trying to hold it in as much as she could so no well-hearing and well-meaning vampire would hear her.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

Thanks so much for reading!

See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11

Gothi was a strange little vampire. She was short in stature, older—Hiccup later explained that vampires are frozen in their aging. An elderly person who is Turned remains that same age the rest of their life. A young adult, the same.

"What's different," he had said, "Is a child. A child remains the same _physically_ for the rest of their life, but their mind will still mature until it reaches adulthood. That is why it is illegal to Turn a child."

He had said this as solidifying evidence that his own clan was not responsible for the attack on her family.

As Gothi inspected the wound on her neck, Hiccup watched on like a worried mother hen.

Gothi then took out a kind of iPad, and typed into it, and an electronic voice spoke from the device in Old Norse. Hiccup frowned, and then smiled, and then frowned again.

"What is she saying?" Astrid asked him.

"She says Dagur—or _someone—did_ try to Turn you," he answered. "Because you did not exhibit any symptoms she did not inspect the wound too closely, but she says you are telling the truth. Of course, we'll have to wait until Fishlegs arrives to do any real research or make any concrete findings but—"

Gothi was now leaving, which Hiccup did not seem to notice. Hiccup rambled on about all the tests they could do and how long it would take and what he hoped the results would be when Gothi returned with a mug of a steaming liquid. She handed it to Astrid.

Astrid accepted it, looking at the muddy colored stuff. She took a tentative sip, and coughed, spluttering.

"Oh," Hiccup said, frowning, before grinning evilly, and then apologetically, "That's some of Gothi's tea. It should speed along your healing—although it's very, _very_ strong, since we vampires can't really taste normal tea. We can't really digest it either, but since it's mostly water it's a little easier for us than coffee or other drinks. Point is, it's extra strong so it actually _has an effect_ , but also so we can taste it. It's actually quite nice but—"

"Hiccup," Astrid interrupted, before looking at Gothi. "Do I _have_ to drink this?"

Gothi nodded, looking somewhat unamused, before typing into her tablet again.

"She says she'll make it less potent next time," Hiccup interpreted after the device spoke again. "But that you need to drink this now."

"But it's so—"

A look from the old vampire silenced her. She took another sip, coughing again, feeling as if the back of her throat was on fire. Gothi did not leave until she had downed the entire mug, which seemed to be half an hour later.

"Do you want to get out of bed?" Hiccup asked as the old lady left.

"Yeah," Astrid said, pushing the covers off herself. She had gotten out of bed a few times the last two days, since she woke up in this place. Mainly to use the bathroom, and once to go out on the balcony to look out across the forest.

"Want to explore the house?" Hiccup asked as she shakily stood up.

She had luckily not broken any bones, except for her nose. But she was heavily bandaged from head to foot, and the wounds itched and screamed with protest of every move she made.

And there was, of course, the damn bullet wound on her leg. But that was healing nicely. Gothi had told her that she should be thankful to be here. She might have gotten sick otherwise. Hiccup walked alongside Astrid, hands out, ready to catch her lest she sway, as she walked over to the large French doors. Hiccup opened the doors and they stepped out onto the balcony.

"It's very beautiful," she noted, looking out across the misty, dense forest.

"Yes, it is," Hiccup said, looking out at it again. "Perhaps, when you're feeling a little better, we can go out for a hike in it."

"A hike?" Astrid asked, looking at him quizzically, before almost laughing at herself. "You know, I haven't gone on a 'hike', for the fun of it, since I was a kid."

"Really?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrows. "You mean you never just went on a walk for the sake of it?"

"Not since I was a kid," Astrid said, drumming her fingers on the railing. "I mean, my life has pretty much been overtaken with being a hunter. I didn't exactly have a typical upbringing after they took me in."

"Sounds fun," Hiccup said, leaning on his elbows.

"Hey you guys!" Astrid heard someone yell, and looked downwards to see two persons on the ground below them. Astrid's room was situated on the third floor of the mansion, and as such, the persons below were quite small to them. They both sported bright blonde hair, and looked, from this distance, to be nearly identical.

"Oh, for fuck's sake…" Hiccup muttered, before yelling down, "What are _you two_ doing here?"

"Your dad picked us up!" one of them replied. He then whispered something to the person next to him, and spoke again, "He's here, by the way. He has Fishlegs with him. Wants to see the girl. The HUMAN girl."

The person next to him sang up, "I heard you got a _dreyri,_ Hiccup!"

"That's not—" Hiccup yelled down, before cutting himself off. "Just ignore them," he told her, taking her firmly by the arm and leading her back into her room. He had just closed the doors behind them when the door to the hall opened, and Fishlegs barged in.

"Why didn't you mention you were immune to the virus?" he demanded, thundering to a stop before Astrid. His familiar, who had he had introduced as Meatlug when she had stayed at his place, buzzed around his head like an overexcited bug.

"I guess it just didn't come up," Astrid said.

"Didn't come up? Didn't _come up?"_ Fishlegs asked, flabbergasted. "Astrid, we talked about this—there were plenty of—"

"Doesn't matter," Hiccup interrupted. "We know now and here we have the tools to actually do something about it."

"True," Fishlegs said, quieter. He opened his mouth to speak again, when two other persons entered the room.

It was not the two blondes from outside. These two were much larger and older than they. The first was a man with a prosthetic hand, and a strange and styled mustache. The other was a man with an impressive red beard, and a Louis Vuitton suit. Both men stood before them.

"So this is the girl?" the man with the red beard, who Astrid knew, instinctively, was Stoick Haddock.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "This is her."

Stoick nodded, looking Astrid up and down, sizing her up. "What is your name?"

"Astrid Hofferson," Astrid answered, keeping her voice steady and calm. Her heart was racing little, from being in a room with so many vampires. In response to this, she felt Hiccup's hand sneak into hers, an action that did not go unnoticed by his father.

"Fishlegs tells me that Hiccup has told _him…"_ Stoick paused here, before continuing. "That you are immune to the VMP Virus?"

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, before looking back at Stoick. "I have never been _Turned,_ though people—vampires, have tried."

Stoick nodded, his face not betraying his thoughts. He looked at Fishlegs finally, and asked him, "And you can test this theory without causing her any harm?"

"Yes," Fishlegs said. "I mean, I can test it on some of her cells… but to _really_ confirm we'd need to—"

"Need to what?" Astrid asked, looking from him to Hiccup, who pointedly did not look at her.

"I think what Fishlegs is meanin' to say," the other man said, "Is that someone would have to try to _Turn_ you to see if you are truly immune."

Astrid stared at him, before ripping her hand out of Hiccup's. "Why didn't you tell me that?" she demanded of him.

"I—didn't think… I wasn't going to let anyone actually do that," Hiccup told her. "I mean, for fuck's sake, Astrid. What if it worked? What if by testing it out we actually _Turned_ you?"

"Hiccup is right," Stoick agreed. "Astrid, you have my full confidence that no one from the Haddock Clan will attempt to Turn you. We will conduct research on the samples you consent to providing, and we will use those to do our own research. Besides," he said, sending a glare in Fishleg's direction, "It's illegal to Turn someone for the sake of research." He heaved a sigh, and said, "Well, at least we have some good news—although whether it's actually what we've been hoping for has yet to be determined. This war is…" he trailed off. "Astrid, I would be greatly pleased if you could join my family for dinner tonight."

Astrid glanced at Hiccup in confusion, but he nodded for her to accept the offer. "Sure," she said, looking back at the older vampire.

Stoick gave her a short nod, before turning and walking from the room.

"My name is Gobber, by the way," the other man said. "Let me know if you need any help. I know some sure fire ways to speed along the healing process."

"Trust me," Hiccup said hurriedly, "That's not a good idea."

"Well, suit yerself," Gobber shrugged, leaving the room after Stoick.

"That's for the best," Fishlegs said. "The last time I let Gobber help me with something like that I was sick for a month. That man is _terrible_ when it comes to medicine. You know, one time he fractured Snotlout's collar bone when he was setting his broken leg? I still don't know how he did it."

"Hiccup," Astrid said slowly. "What will you and your father be eating?"

"What? Oh, well, blood of course," Hiccup said. A knowing look entered his face. "Oh, right," he said. "Well, you have nothing to worry about. We're all recently fed. It should… be alright… I'll talk to my father and tell him to drink beforehand and just have wine at dinner."

"Wine?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The _one_ human food vampires can consume at least _somewhat_ properly is red wine," Fishlegs answered quickly. "Although we don't get intoxicated from it. We can taste it better than others and we don't have as strong negative reactions."

"Oh," Astrid said, frowning.

"And we don't get any benefits from drinking it," Fishlegs said. "It's mainly just for taste. To be able to drink something other than blood and it still tastes good is an amazing thing. But honestly I'm _sick_ of wine. Imagine having to drink blood or wine for a thousand years! To be able to drink _lemonade_ again… Or beer… or tea… or _hot chocolate…"_

"Alright," Hiccup said, "Why don't you go down the lab and start setting stuff up. As far as I know it hasn't been used in a few years."

"Right," Fishlegs said, jumping out of his reverie. "Alright, well, I should be ready in a few days. I'll let you two know when to come down and we'll start the process."

Astrid nodded, and Fishlegs left, Meatlug hurrying after him.

"Your father seems nice," Astrid said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"He can come across as kind of intimidating," Hiccup admitted. "I mean, for a vampire, which is saying something, I guess."

"Yeah," Astrid laughed a little, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "You know, I'm on less pain meds now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, so… I could maybe explore the house a little?" she asked him hopefully.

She was dying to leave her room, but she had to admit she was a little curious what a vampire stronghold looked like from the inside. She, or any hunter, as far as she knew, had never gotten this close to a vampire place of living.

"Sure," Hiccup said, brightening visibly. "I'll show you the whole place, if you like. And the grounds. But it's best if you don't leave the room without me. I can speak with some authority that the other vampires in my clan won't attack you or anything, but they might… I don't know… freak you out a little. It's not often a human comes in here. Or ever," he added quietly.

"Alright," she said, before looking down at herself, frowning. "I don't really want to go out like this, though."

"Oh," Hiccup said, looking at her pajamas. "Right. Well, I can go out and see if someone can lend you some clothes. Ruffnut could lend you something."

"Ruffnut?"

"The loon from outside," Hiccup said, nodding over his shoulder at the balcony behind them. "She and her brother, Tuffnut, had been away doing god knows what. Anyway, they're back now, apparently, and they always have stuff here so I'm sure she can lend you something."

"Okay," Astrid said, as Hiccup quickly left the room.

She waited for a while, and heard him, before he arrived at her door. He was shouting something—something about 'not barging in'—and suddenly the door burst open and the two persons from outside barged in, looking around before finally looking at her.

"Look at her," Ruffnut said, as Hiccup entered the room, looking flustered and annoyed. "Hiccup, you have horrible taste. She looks _horrible."_

"That's because she's all bandaged up," Tuffnut explained to his sister. "I'm sure—no, I think you're right. She looks horrible."

Astrid stared at them, unsure of how to react to the two vampires.

"Get out," Hiccup told them, all amusement gone from his voice and face.

"Come on, we just got here," Tuffnut said. "My name is Tuffnut, by the way. This disgusting creature is Ruffnut. I'm the better half, of course—" this heard him a hard punch to the gut from his sister.

As he sank to the ground, arms wrapped around his stomach, Ruffnut turned to look at her. "So, you're Astrid? Fishlegs says you're immune to the virus. It's a good thing Tuffnut and I have come back at this time. We happen to be _experts_ in research and sciency stuff."

"True," her brother muttered in agreement, his voice fraught with pain. He was still doubled over on the ground, hugging his inflicted torso.

"I said, get out," Hiccup said, "You can talk to Astrid later but for now she needs to get dressed."

"In _my_ clothing," Ruffnut reminded him. "Well, if you ever want some _girl_ talk I'm here for you," she told Astrid with a wink. "None of these _boys_ need be around."

She grabbed her brother by his hair and lifted him to his feet, dragging him from the room.

"Sorry about that," Hiccup said. "They're a real pain in the ass but… they're not _terrible._ And they actually _can_ be good at research but… they're so disorganized and haphazard that they end up doing everything wrong. Here you go," he handed her a neat pile of clothing. "And sorry," he said, as she accepted them, "They were the only items that were clean."

He awkwardly turned away and walked form the room, closing the door behind him.

She got dressed, and realized why Hiccup had apologized. The clothes were bright and gaudy—leopard print leggings, and a short top that was made from a metallic fabric with a large hand flipping someone off embroidered onto the chest. But at least it covered her. She slipped her boots on, and looked at herself in the tall mirror. She looked… different, to say the least. She looked like one of those women in their forties who try to dress like they're a pre-teen. She sighed, walking over to the door and pulling it open. She stepped out into the hall, looking around and spotting Hiccup.

The hall itself was very nice, and although dimly lit, for the ceiling lamps were not lit, she could see many of the details. There was a nice, velvet rug running down the length of the long hall. The walls were adorned with fancy wall paper, as well as old and new paintings alike. There were tables every two doors with a flour vase on them. "So," she said, as Hiccup stepped up to her. "Will you give me a tour of this place? You'll have to go slow. I'll need time to make mental notes for when me and my hunter homies storm the place."

Hiccup laughed uneasily at this, before offering her his arm. She gazed at it, before looking at him in amusement. "Just take it," he laughed.

She did, and he led her down the hall, launching into an explanation of the mansion and when it had been built.

The third floor was mainly bedrooms. The second floor was offices and other rooms for business. The first floor was where people were entertained, as well as where the kitchen was. The attic and basement were things were stored, and, as Hiccup told her, there were a great many things to be stored. The lab was also in the basement, and they had stopped down there to visit Fishlegs, who was fast at work. The twins were there as well, and it had been a great chaos. Hiccup and Astrid made their escape, and slowly made their way outside. Hiccup did not show her much of the grounds, but he showed her the tennis courts, the pool, the pool house, the gardens, and other parts nearby the house itself.

She noticed that they did not run into too many vampires on the tour. It seemed most of the clan that were at the mansion stayed out of their way. Some introduced themselves, but most continued on their way with only a curious look in her direction. Finally, they made their way back inside the house, and upstairs to the third floor. Hiccup reached a door and pressed a code into the lock. "This way," he said, opening the door and stepping in, allowing her to enter after him.

Here was a wing that Astrid had not seen yet. Hiccup led her down the hall, until they reached a door at the end. Hiccup paused before it, hesitating. "This is my room," he said, opening the door and stepping aside to let Astrid enter on her own accord.

Astrid paused, glancing at him, before entering the room. It was different than she had expected. Cleaner, neater. But the long table at one end was a complete mess of papers.

She looked around, at the strange array of decorations and objects. "You have a small museum here," she mused.

"Well, when you live a thousand years you collect a lot of stuff," Hiccup admitted.

Astrid enjoyed looking through his 'stuff'. He had records from when they were first invented all the way until recent years. Things that were not made anymore. Mint action figures and trading cards. Original publications of books and comics. He had other things as well. Objects from the older world that would have sold for millions now—and that would be coveted by museums. She finally sat on his rather large bed, bouncing up and down a little, before grinning at him.

"Didn't know this was what a vampire's bedroom looked like," she said.

He sat down beside her. "Well, no human has ever seen it," he admitted.

"Is that all I am," she asked playfully. "A 'human'?"

"Of course not—oh, you're joking," he said, flushing slightly. "Anyway, there's a few hours until we eat—vampires eat pretty late, around nine or ten—so I'm going to drive into town and get you some proper clothing. Not that you don't look good in that it's just… you know. Not really your style."

"And how do you know what _my_ style is?" Astrid asked, amused.

"Well, not _that_ ," Hiccup said pointedly, to which Astrid had to agree.

"Is it safe for you?" Astrid asked, suddenly realizing what he was saying, "For you to leave?"

"I'll have people with me," Hiccup said, standing up, and offering her a hand. He helped her to her feet. "I should be fine."

"Right," she said, as they left his room. He walked her to her bedroom, where he bid her farewell and left.

She lay down on her bed, deciding she would take a nap before it was time to eat. She wondered what she would be eating—if anything at all. They did have kitchens, and Astrid had eaten some food the past two days since arriving.

She fell asleep, dreaming pleasant dreams.

* * *

She looked at her reflection. While not what she usually wore, it was definitely closer to her comfort level of clothing. It was a dress, dark mahogany in color that was tight around the waist but loose bellow and above it. She wore black ballet flats.

Hiccup had gotten her an assortment of clothing. He seemed to think she was staying here for a long while. She supposed with the research she would have to partake in, she probably would be. And besides, when he had told her that he had spotted some of Dagur and Drago's men in town, and that, while not taking an action since he had an assortment of body guards, it had made him nervous. He had told her it would be best for her not to leave on her own for quite some time.

"Not until this blasted war is over," he had said, quite dismally. "I mean, I _want_ you to stay," he had added, "It's just… I feel guilty because it's all my fault."

She smiled into the mirror, and saw that her reflection was pleasant and softer around the edges than she was prone to looking. Finally, she left the room and found Hiccup waiting for her in the hall.

"Ready?" he asked.

He was wearing a blazer. "Vampires don't eat often," he said, as they headed down the hall. "I mean, less often than a human does. So when we do gather for meals we—my family that is—tend to make it rather a big deal. But no one ate tonight. My father agrees it would be best if no one who is attending too recently fed, or worse, fed at the table."

"Right," Astrid said, feeling nervous.

Hiccup glanced at her, before looking away. They headed down the stairs. "There's nothing to worry about," he told her. "It'll just be my dad, Gobber, my uncle, cousin, Fishlegs, me, you and—"

"Just those?" Astrid laughed uneasily.

"Well, they're all to be trusted," Hiccup told her. "And Tuffnut and Ruffnut, but only because my father couldn't convince them _not_ to come, so we're kind of stuck with them."

"I see," Astrid said.

They finally arrived on the first floor, and entered the large, dining hall. The table was long and mahogany, with an intricate lace covering. There was a large chandelier far above the table, and paintings on the deep purple-red wallpaper.

"Astrid," Stoick said, rising from his seat, and motioning for her to sit. Hiccup quickly sat next to his father, and Astrid sat next to Hiccup.

"You know Gobber already, and the twins, and Fishlegs, of course," Stoick said, seeming in much better spirits now than he was in her room earlier. "This is my brother, Spitelout Jorgenson, and his son, Snotlout."

Spitelout nodded his head in gentle acknowledgement, and Snotlout looked her over. "So you're Hiccup's _dreyri?"_ he asked, eagerly. "Hiccup, I didn't know you had it in you. Proud of you, buddy. How does she taste?"

" _Snotlout,"_ Spitelout hissed.

"Astrid is not my son's _dreyri,"_ Stoick said. "She is his friend to whom we owe his life." He turned to look at Astrid. "My son has told me much of your feats since you met him. I personally thank you for all that you have done for him."

She returned his smile.

"Let us eat," Stoick said, clapping his hands, and a few vampires entered, serving Astrid the food, and the others the wine.

"I made the food," Fishlegs, who was sitting next to her, whispered in her ear. "Not many vampires are that good at cooking. I keep up with it because I enjoy it. Even though I can't really eat what I cook. How does it taste?"

Astrid took a bite, and smiled. "It's very good," she said. "Although I feel a little underdressed for scallops and caviar and… what is this?"

"A tenderloin," Fishlegs said.

"And a salad… and a _quinoa_ salad… and… some kind of fruit salad… I mean, how much food do you think I'm capable of eating?"

"Shush," Fishlegs replied, taking a sip of his wine. "Don't begrudge me the chance to cook something for someone who will _actually_ be able to enjoy it. Eat up. There's more coming."

Astrid swore, but she was smiling all the same. She ate, and enjoyed it immensely. Fishlegs often asked her intimate details of what each item tasted like, the emotion it procured in her, the images that came to her mind, and every other thing one could possibly think of in the scope of food and taste, and he would have continued the entire night, except for Stoick and the others interupting him to ask her questions.

It was in one of these particular instances, that Astrid found the table grow quiet.

"What?" she asked for clarification.

"What did the person that attacked you as a child look like?" Spitelout asked.

"Spite…" Stoick said softly, "Perhaps this is not the best time to ask such a question."

"We need to know all the answers, if she really _is_ immune the virus," Spitelout said defensively. "After all, who the first person who first tried to Turn her _is_ might be a lead as to why _she_ is the way she is."

"It's probably genetic," Fishlegs spoke up. "Probably has nothing to do with that vampire. But…" he turned to look at Astrid questioningly.

"You don't have to answer," Hiccup muttered to her out of the corner of his mouth. He was glaring at his uncle. Seemingly, everyone else was too.

"He was… large… and… wearing dark clothing. He had dreads in his hair… and a kind of hooked nose," Astrid said. "And smallish eyes… that were…" she paused here, unable to go any further.

Everyone was silent for a long while, until Hiccup's hand gently grasped hers, safely hidden under the table. She glanced at their entwined hands, and glanced at him, to see that he had a troubled look on his face.

"I can't say with any certainty," Stoick said, folding his hands in front of him, looking contemplative. "But that sounds an awful lot like Drago Bludvist."

"Drago?" Astrid asked, freezing. Hiccup's grip on her hand tightened.

"It does—although we can't say for sure," Gobber agreed. "We can show her a painting of him—"

"I think that's enough for tonight, though," Hiccup said.

"Of course," Stoick agreed. "Tonight, you get your rest. Fishlegs, when will the lab be in working order?"

"By tomorrow afternoon, I'd say," Fishlegs said. "At least, to start things off."

"Good," Stoick said, nodding firmly. "Astrid, you rest up. And…" he paused, "Thank you, for allowing us to do this research. We've kept it under wraps, that you're immune the virus. It would cause mayhem in our communities—and put you in even greater danger."

"Drago and Dagur already know, though, don't they?" Snotlout asked.

"The Vein has been abnormally quiet about it," Gobber said. "It seems neither Dagur _nor_ Drago want anyone to know about it either, although most likely for different reasons."

"They're the type that _like_ being a vampire," Hiccup told Astrid. "They enjoy being feared, and being in control. They wouldn't respond well to there being a cure out there."

"No, they wouldn't," Stoick agreed.

"Speaking of, Chief," Fishlegs said, "I was wondering if, after I get a start on things and see how they go, I could head to the main lab in Boston. As you know the lab downstairs isn't quite big enough—and there are some of our people in Boston who might be able to help me."

Stoick raised his eyebrows. "Very well," he nodded. "It might be good not to have you here anyway. I'm sure the equipment here is a little outdated. After you collect samples, head to Boston. But you, Astrid, I would like you to stay here. It's not safe for you leave right now."

Astrid nodded.

Stoick took another sip of wine, looking at Astrid's plate. "Was that any good?"

"What that any good?" Fishlegs exploded. "Chief, _please_ , know your chefs. It's _me_ you're talking about."

"Yes, and you haven't been able to taste your own cooking in a millennium," Stoick pointed out.

"It's delicious, all of it," Astrid said, to which Stoick smiled wistfully and Fishlegs beamed.

They chatted about other things, things that were not very important, until finally, Hiccup stood, announcing that he was tired and wanted to sleep. Astrid quickly realized, when he looked at her expectantly, that it was for her benefit alone. She gratefully got up, thanked Stoick and Fishlegs for the meal, and left with Hiccup.

"Thanks," she told him, as they head upstairs to her bedroom. "I was so exhausted. What time is it?"

He glanced at his watch. "Around one-thirty in the morning," he told her.

"Wow," she said, almost leaning on him in support. "It's a good thing I ate all that food or I wouldn't have been able to take all wine that the servers kept pouring for me. You vampires can put away a lot of alcohol. I didn't stand a chance."

Hiccup laughed a little at that, and they finally made their way to her bedroom. "Goodnight, Astrid," he said, standing before her.

She smiled at him. "Goodnight, Hiccup." She turned and entered her room, softly closing the door behind her.

As she got into bed, she thought about how much she enjoyed spending the day with Hiccup. Somehow getting to know him without the adrenaline rushing through her veins was different than she had expected. He was pleasant to be around. She found him amusing in ways that she had not noticed before. She had _enjoyed_ his company, for a reason that seemed foreign to her.

She had never had a boyfriend before. She had never had the time for a relationship. And she didn't delude herself into thinking that _Hiccup_ could be her boyfriend. She wasn't sure she even wanted that, even if Fishlegs _was_ able to find a cure and Hiccup returned to being human. She liked him, sure. A lot, maybe. But it wasn't wise to date someone who she barely knew. A _vampire_ that she barely knew.

But she thought he would make a fine friend.

She thought about how nice his hand felt entwined with hers, and fell asleep, dreaming lovely, blissful thoughts.

* * *

 _ **To be continued…**_

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!


	12. Chapter 12

_Forewarning, this chapter is slightly fluffier than they usually are…_

* * *

"Okay," Fishlegs said, his voice somewhat distorted behind the facemask. Hiccup stood to the side, also wearing a mask. They looked like modified hazmat masks, and Astrid did _not_ feel that this was completely unnecessary. "This is going to pinch a little bit."

"I've had my blood drawn before," she told him.

"Still," Fishlegs said, with a slight shrug. He took in a deep breath, and finished wiping the crook of her arm with the alcohol swatch, firmly tapped on her veins with his two forefingers, and then inserted the needle. After a moment, he drew the blood.

Astrid heard both Fishlegs and Hiccup take a sharp intake of breath at the sight of her blood, bright purple-red in the florescent lighting of the lab, travel through the tube into the vials. For a moment, Astrid felt a bit of panic again at the thought of bleeding so close to the vampires.

"Don't worry," she heard Hiccup say from next to her, laying hand on her shoulder. "Fishlegs and I ate this morning. Neither of us are hungry."

But he had said this while staring transfixed at the tubes and vials, and Astrid could not help but think that such a precaution did little to stave off desire, even if it worked against action. Finally, Fishlegs filled the last tube, and removed the needle, placing a swab on the entry wound, and a piece of tape over that. "Here," he said, handing her some water. "Drink up. In a few hours, I'll get some other tissue samples. And tomorrow I'll get some more blood."

"Thanks," Astrid said, accepting the cup and taking a sip. Hiccup removed his mask, and took in a deep breath. "Was it hard?" she asked, as Fishlegs walked away with the vials.

Hiccup shrugged, leaning against the wall. "I mean," he said, "I'm not starving anymore, so I'm not desperate and my instincts to… drink blood are less severe and dominating. But it's still… anyway, how do _you_ feel? Lightheaded?"

"Fine," she answered with a shrug, taking a large gulp of water. She would have to stay hydrated and well fed if she was going to keep up with Fishlegs' schedule. He was leaving for Boston in a little over a week, and was spending that time collecting what he needed from _her_. She would have to make sure she didn't collapse before then.

Toothless crawled into her lap, curling up and gazing up at her with large, soulful green eyes.

She drained the glass and set it on the counter to her left, and stood up, holding Toothless in her arms.

"So," Hiccup said, taking Toothless out of her arms as together they walked from the lab. They made their way to the first floor where they walked outside. It was a glorious day—bright with very little fog. There were no vampires out and about outside on a day like today. Not to mention most vampires, if they slept, slept _during_ the day. "What do you want to do today?"

He was squinting awkwardly, so they found a spot in the shade.

"Not sure," she said, yawning.

This was the longest she had gone without fighting or getting hurt or being in danger. Immediate danger, that is. She found it strange, and somehow nice. She had always thought she would be always on the run, always on the hunt, always tracking down vampires and slaughtering them. She thought she would die that way—either by old age, or an early death at the hands of a vampire. She never thought she would spend this much time _relaxing._ But relax she did, despite the fact that there were vampires around every corner.

Of course, she could not relax _entirely_. She was still wary. She was still hesitant to have conversations with vampires. But she found that too was getting easier. She began to see that, when one takes the time to get to know them, they were really not _too_ different from regular people. It was strange, and she often spent her nights pondering how she managed to get to this space of thinking.

"How's your…" Hiccup paused, before continuing.

"My…?" Astrid asked, opening one eye to look at him in amusement.

"You know, your wounds," Hiccup said.

"Good. According the Fishlegs, Gothi says I can take the bandages off in a week," Astrid said. "A lot of what happened wasn't that deep, luckily, so it should heal pretty fast."

"' _Luckily',"_ Hiccup said, leaning back in his seat. "There's nothing lucky about it."

Astrid shrugged. "I call it lucky," she said. "I was bound to be killed by a vampire eventually—or Turned. I'm just lucky to be alive and human."

"That's true… _I guess,"_ Hiccup said, with a much-too-nonchalant shrug of his own.

"Your dad is pretty cool," she said, changing the subject quickly. "I can tell he cares about you a lot."

"Yeah," Hiccup said.

"Is your mom around?" After a moment, she asked, "Do you have a mom?"

"I do… well she's… kind of out and about. She doesn't have anything to do with clans or all that. Only became a vampire because… well, she studies animals and plants and nature in remote places. I haven't seen in her in about two decades. But I _think_ she's still alive…" he trailed off here, a worried look on his face.

"You… _think?"_ Astrid asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Every once in a while we get a postcard from some place around the world."

"And your dad is okay with that?" she asked.

"Like I said before, vampire relationships are different than a human's. My parents are married, and will always be married, probably, but they take breaks from each other every few decades or centuries. It's hard to stay with one person for so long."

"I can imagine," Astrid said softly. "And Gobber, is he married?"

"No," Hiccup shook his head, absentmindedly scratching Toothless between his wings, to which the small dragon purred. "Do you want breakfast now or later?"

"Now would be good," she said, rising. "Although Fishlegs is occupied with my blood at the moment so I'm not sure who will make it for me."

"I could make it," Hiccup offered.

She gave him a comical look, before saying, "Let's make it together. That way I know it's being done right."

"Oh, so _you're_ an expert at cooking?" he asked, as they walked back inside.

"Nope," she said. "Can't even cook scrambled eggs. Or at least that's what Reeves tells me. I once gave an entire squad of hunters food poisoning. I don't know how it happened, it all tasted pretty good to _me."_

"Well, for once in my life I'm glad I don't eat food. Gives me a good excuse not to eat _your_ cooking— _ow!_ " he yelped as she lightly punched him in the arm. He laughed a little, rubbing his arm, as they headed into the kitchen.

* * *

"How are you feeling about being here?"

The question took her by surprise. She supposed she should have expected it, for he was sure to ask her eventually. She just wasn't prepared for it even three and a half weeks into her stay at the Haddock residence. To be honest, she wasn't originally expecting him to ask it all. She wasn't expecting to have stayed here that long. She wasn't expecting to have come here at all, if she were honest.

She shrugged, but then decided he deserved an answer. "I'm okay with it—actually, what I'm _not_ okay with is _how_ okay I'm am with it. I mean, I don't… I don't mind it. I actually kind of enjoy it."

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I mean, it's weird as all hell, seeing vampires around and not intending to kill them, or they kill me. But… It's just weird I guess. I enjoy it. I'm starting to see them—even you—as people, not just… well, monsters."

"That's good," Hiccup said quietly, looking somewhat taken aback and a little insulted.

"I don't mean that offensively," she said. "I mean, I know it probably sucks for someone to call you a monster, but that was how I was raised."

"I'm sure," Hiccup said, at a normal volume, the insulted tone not leaving his voice. He sighed. "I don't really blame you. I mean, if I were a human, and especially one with your experiences, I would definitely think vampires were monsters."

"My point is," Astrid continued on, "I don't really feel that anymore. Not…" she took in a deep breath. "I guess _some_ vampires are still monsters. Dagur is. Drago is. I'm sure it's a mixed bag."

"Like humans too," Hiccup pointed out. "Reeves and Kanata are not that awesome either."

"True," Astrid nodded her head, absentmindedly touching her leg. "Humans and vampires… not so different after all."

They were silent for a little while, before she felt Hiccup gently touch her arm. She glanced down, to see him tracing one of the scars there. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I've told you a hundred times," she said, rolling her eyes, "There's nothing to be sorry for. _You_ didn't make these."

"Yeah, but I—"

She reached out and grasped his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Stop apologizing for it. It's really annoying. Plus, I don't blame you for it. It was my own stupidity that got me into this whole mess."

"Right," he said, laughing slightly, "Mess."

"Not you, but this whole deal," she said with a shrug, letting go of his chin.

"Right," he said again, softer.

She grinned at him, leaning back in her seat. "What do you want to do?"

"Want to play tennis?"

She gave him a curious look, never having played tennis before. It wasn't exactly a recreation the hunters were prone to participate in. "Okay," she said, rising from her seat. "As long as you don't go easy on me."

"Astrid, please, don't make me promise that," he said, grinning back at her. "I'll wipe the court with your ass if I don't go easy on you."

"So you're that good at tennis?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean… _good?_ Nah. But I'm a vampire and with that comes some advantages," he said with a shrug. "Even with it being noon, I'll _still_ be better than you."

"We'll see about that, Nerd," she said, as they headed outside. She saw Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Snotlout laying in the sun, in their bathing suits. "What are they doing?" she asked Hiccup.

"Tanning," Hiccup said, a wry smile on his face. "It's impossible for vampires. I don't know why they haven't given up. I think it's mostly for the novelty of it."

They headed to the tennis courts, and retrieved rackets and balls from the small tennis shack.

"So," Hiccup said, "How long have you known how to play tennis?"

"I don't, at all," she said, dribbling a ball on the ground.

"You—what?" Hiccup asked, "Astrid…. You don't know how to play _at all_?"

"Nope," she said, now hitting the ball with her racket.

"Astrid, how do you hope to play against me when you don't—"

"I don't know," she said with a grin, "It's _you_ … I'm guessing I'll win easily."

He narrowed his eyes. "I'll teach you," he said finally.

"What?" she asked, amused. " _You'll teach me?"_

"Yes, I'll teach you," he said. "Okay, we'll start with stances—no, we'll start with hitting the ball. I know we have a machine in the shed somewhere, let me go get it."

He left the courts, and came back with a strange kind of machine. He set it up on the other side of the court, and then turned it on. It revved to life, and he quickly disappeared from her vision and appeared next to her. "Ready?" he asked, "Just try to hit the ball."

"Should be easy enough," she said, as a ball was dispersed from the machine.

She missed.

"Shit," she muttered, getting into another stance. Hiccup stepped up behind her, moving her legs into the proper position, hands on her arms. He was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her neck…

She quickly moved away from him

"What's the matter?" he asked, before a knowing look crossed his face. "Oh…"

"It's just," she shook her head, "I think I've got it."

"Alright," he said, backing up slowly. He stood a little ways off as she practiced hitting the balls. After a little while, she told him she was tired, and they walked inside.

"Sorry about that," he said after a moment during her lunch. "I didn't realize… It was… I should have thought more about being that close to you."

"It wasn't you being so close to me," Astrid said, shaking her head. "I mean, that felt kinda' nice. It was the fact that your _mouth_ was so close to my neck."

"Okay," he said, looking pensive. He seemed somewhat confused, and Astrid realized her meaning was rather mixed.

"If you were human," she said, "I wouldn't have minded you being so close."

"Right," he said, nodding his head. He looked troubled, and if she was correct, a little hurt. But he didn't seem surprised, or upset at _her,_ which was relieving.

"How is the cure coming along?" she asked him.

"Good, I think," Hiccup said. "When Fishlegs is working on something like this he tends to get obsessed—when he called to tell me how it was going it was like he was speaking in tongues. Could only understand every fifth word that came out of his mouth."

"That doesn't surprise me," she said, taking another bite of the grilled cheese. She raised her eyebrows when Hiccup gazed at the meal. "What is it? Hungry?"

He looked at her face, eyebrows quirking, before he shook his head. "I was just wondering what that tasted like. I mean, I ate something similar way back when I was human—but… it's not quite the same _remembering_ something from _a thousand years ago_ and actually eating it."

"You can't eat it at all?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Food kind of tastes a bit like sawdust," he said. "But a little blander. Plus I don't quite fancy the idea of getting sick for a few days."

"Yikes," she said, taking another bite. "Well, if Fishlegs can find a cure, then you won't have to worry about that, will you?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. "That's true, I guess."

"Do you think he will?" she asked him seriously.

"I hope so," he said quietly. "I mean, it would be amazing if he did. It would change our world. Make us normal again. _Human_ again. _Real_ humans, I mean. It would be… the most incredible thing." He sighed wistfully. "It's just… I don't know if it's even possible. What if we were wrong and the mutations were _real_ mutations? And are permanent?"

She didn't respond, only waited for him to continue.

"I guess I'd give anything to age," he said softly. "I know most people would love to stay young forever, but I'm sick of it."

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Well, hopefully it'll work. That way you can grow to a ripe old age."

"And die," he said. "I know that sounds weird, but I feel robbed of that. Growing old and dying of old age… that's a _gift._ Humans aren't meant to live forever. Not like this. _This,"_ he motioned to his body, "Is a curse. Not in the magical sense, but in the sense that… people think it would be amazing. But it's really just…"

She reached out and grasped his hand. "I totally get it," she said.

He nodded, gazing at their hands, before looking up at her.

For a moment, they sat there, on either end of the table, before she quickly retracted her hand, resuming eating her sandwich in silence.

* * *

She almost didn't hear him, he had spoken so softly.

"How are you feeling, Astrid?" Stoick repeated, wine glass in hand, when she gave him a questioning look.

"Good," she replied, after swallowing.

"Your wounds and other ailments are starting to heal?"

"They're mostly healed I would say," she replied. "I can move around fine and fight."

Stoick nodded his head. "I have to say, we've all enjoyed your company. We don't often have humans here—let alone a hunter."

"Well, I'm honored," Astrid said, feeling slightly awkward by the attention.

She was aware of Hiccup grinning at her, but pointedly ignored him.

It was then that Hiccup announced that he was going to bed, and Astrid thankfully got up from the table with him. It seemed many of the vampires his father dined with did not realize that humans needed sleep to function.

She and Hiccup walked to the third floor in silence. "I think your dad likes me," she said finally, as they reached the third floor.

"I think he does," Hiccup agreed.

"Everyone probably thinks you and I are doing it," she mused. "Since we leave the table at the same time every night."

Hiccup laughed, a little uneasily. "Well," he said, as they reached her door. "I…" he trailed off, as if not knowing what to say.

They stood their awkwardly, as they did every night. She punched him lightly in the arm.

"Hey!" he said, rubbing his arm and glaring at her. "What was that for?"

"That's for, you know, this whole deal. Making me _like_ vampires," she said with a shrug.

He continued rubbing his arm, giving her a strange, perplexed look.

Something seemed to take over her mind, and she leaned close to him. He made to move away, but she pressed her lips against his cheek, and moved back towards her door.

He stood there, frozen, fingers pressed where her lips had been. "What was _that_ for?" he asked a little breathlessly.

"That's for making me like _you,"_ she said. "Goodnight, Hiccup."

"Goodnight," he echoed, smiling softly at her, as she opened her door and stepped inside.

She closed the door gently, and then stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, before finally getting into her pajamas and getting into her bed. She lay there for a long while, thinking over what she had just done—and what she had just said.

And wondering what she had even meant by those words and actions.

She closed her eyes, and drifted in and out of sleep for a few hours, and would have contently slept until morning, when she heard a deafening blast and a bright flash of light, as the entire mansion shook violently.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 _Hi! I unapologetically must explain any mistakes you might find in this chapter… We're having near record high heat + humidity where I live and I don't have air conditioning, and needless to say I'm absolutely dying of heat exhaustion. Anyway, I only had the energy to read through this once or twice, and not very closely. My goal is to have finished posting this story by the end of August, hopefully sooner, since it's completely written and all, so there's one less thing I have to focus on when things get busy for me again in the Fall. Anyway, if you spotted a mistake, that's why!_

 _Thanks so much for reading! Stay cool out there and stay hydrated!_

 _See you next time!_


	13. Chapter 13

Astrid was out of bed in a moment. She looked out the glass doors to the balcony to see that a bright light could be seen—but the source was not clear. She could feel heat through the walls and floor, and the crackle and roar of a large fire that was growing rapidly. She slipped on her boots and dashed into the hall, where other vampires were moving around so quickly that she almost had trouble keeping them in her sights. "Hiccup?" she called, panic filling her.

Whatever that blast was, he might have been caught in it.

"Astrid."

Someone took her hand and pulled her down the hall. After a moment, she realized it was Hiccup, and she quickly pulled her hand out of his. "What is going on?" she demanded.

"Bludvist clan—and Berserkers," Hiccup said breathlessly. Toothless was in some sort of sling on his back, gripping his shirt with his small claws. Hiccup then shoved a gun in her hands. "Since I lost your other ones."

"Thanks," Astrid said, checking the magazine. The gun in her hands was an odd mixture of old and new. It sprang forth muscle memory, but she suddenly found the feel of the gun to be unsavory—as if the time spent not having to use it was somehow freeing and cathartic.

They thundered to a stop when the rest of the hall was entirely up in flames, blocking off their exit, and turned around, heading in the other direction. The place was in utter chaos, and reminded Astrid of the time she and the hunters banded together to make siege on a vampire stronghold. "What about your dad?" Astrid asked him. "Is he okay?"

"Not sure," Hiccup shook his head, a worried look on his face. "I'm not—"

They hurried down a set of servant's stairs, that was, for the most part, empty of passengers. They made their way to the first floor, and Astrid suddenly wished they had gone out a window instead.

She had never seen vampires fight _vampires_. And now she realized that, in a way, it truly _was_ foolish for humans to think of fighting them. _"Shit,"_ she heard Hiccup mutter, his voice barely audible over the flames and gunshots and shouts. "We'll have to make a run for it," he said.

"And go _where?"_ she asked.

"The woods, we'll hide out there until this is over," was his response.

"Hiccup," she protested, but he took her hand and dragged her along, moving quickly.

A vampire appeared in front of them, mean looking and burly. Astrid dodged his attack with a long knife, and shot him in the leg. The vampire howled in pain, and dropped to one knee. Astrid wasted no time sticking the gun between his eyes and firing. The vampire dropped to the ground, dead or soon to be dead.

Hiccup stared at the dead vampire for a moment, before reaching for her hand again, but she refused to take it.

It was then that she saw him.

The very image of him evoked a fear that his portraits never quite did. A recognition that had been buried deep within her subconscious, unable and unwilling to present itself until now. A cold sense of dread filled her, starting in the depths of her stomach and spilling out into every fiber of her being. He turned to face her, cold, small, dark eyes cunning and deciphering just who she was. He took a step towards her, slow and methodical, knowing full well that she could not move.

But she suddenly was. She was out of the house in a second, flying across the lawn and towards the woods. They traveled for some time, nearly half an hour, which, at their speeds, covered quite a distance, until finally they slowed to a halt, arriving in a cave, and Hiccup placed her down on the ground. "Are you alright?" he asked her, severely out of breath, a hand on each of her cheeks as he examined her face carefully.

She nodded, her heart racing.

"No, you're not," Hiccup's brows were furrowed. "Astrid… _was_ Drago the man who—"

"That was Drago…?" she managed to croak out.

"Yes," Hiccup said. "Astrid… was he the man who killed your family?"

She nodded mutely.

Hiccup heaved a ragged sigh and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

She felt all her energy leave her body. She felt empty and spent. She held his sweatshirt in her fists, and felt her body shake, and tears roll down her cheeks. He held her for some time, before she finally pushed him away, wiping the tears from her face and turning away from him. She walked over to the side of the cave and sat down, head down on her knees.

Toothless crawled into her lap, nudging at her with his head, and curled into a ball. She petted him absentmindedly, and he purred. The feeling was oddly comforting, as if he were some scaly cat.

"It's okay to cry," Hiccup told her. "After everything you've been through, you can, you know. I won't judge you."

"It's not your judgement—" she stopped herself. "It's just what I was taught."

"What were you taught?" Hiccup asked, taking a step towards her and then halting.

"The hunters they… they're not the most… _empathetic_ of people. They taught me never to show sadness or… grief or… anything like that in front of anyone else." She felt her shoulders start to shake again, but stilled them once more.

"That's…" Hiccup began. "That's not the best way to work through things."

"I know," Astrid said. "But it's the only way I…"

A long, uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.

"Look at this," Hiccup said, lifting up his pant leg.

Astrid looked up, and blinked. Instead of a left foot and ankle, he had some kind of prosthesis. "Your foot?" she asked, looking up at Hiccup in surprise.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Lost it before I became a vampire. Didn't grow back after I did, though I was promised it would," he laughed a little at this, and then sobered. "I'm not ashamed of missing a foot… but I don't… make a big deal out of. It's none of anyone else's business. And besides, I've been missing a foot for over a thousand years. It's a part of me now. As normal and a part of me as any other aspect of myself."

"That's why you didn't tell me?" she asked.

He nodded. "Anyway, I understand the need to not openly talk about things. After a while, you just get used to not talking. But when I first lost the foot I… I had to talk it out with people. I had to process the loss and wrap my head around it. Otherwise I never would have been able to move on from the trauma. If you were never able to talk about your grief and about what happened to your family and you, then… you'll never be able to move past it. Not that you should forget and forgive, but… you'll never _heal_ if you don't open yourself up to."

"The hunters…" she began, and paused, before haltingly continuing. "They never wanted to talk about it because they wanted my anger to fester and simmer. They wanted me to channel my feelings on the matter until I had enough hate to kill vampires for the rest of my life."

"And _we're_ the monsters," he muttered, walking over to her and sitting down beside her, waiting for her to continue.

Toothless crawled from her lap to the space between them, comfortably curling up so that he touched both their bodies.

"I remember everything clearly," she said. "It started with a fire. We tried to get out of the house but… everything was blocked off. And then this… _this vampire_ appeared in the room. He looked so… evil. I didn't even know what a vampire was back then. Or at least, that they actually existed. The flames made strange shadows across his face, so I couldn't see him properly. But we thought he was there to help at first. And so my dad walked towards him—he killed my dad right there on the spot."

She paused. And continued. "We were frozen with shock, we didn't know what to do. He killed my mother next, so fast I couldn't even see anything until her body hit the ground. And my older brother he… he tried to protect me, but he didn't stand a chance. And when he got to _me…_ " she trailed off, hugging her knees tighter against her chest. "He stared at me for a long while. It was so hot and stuffy and _so hard to breathe_ , but to be honest, even if the air was clear… I wouldn't have been able to breathe. I couldn't move.

"He…" she trailed off, before continuing, forcing her voice to be as steady as possible, "He grabbed ahold of me, and I felt completely powerless in his grasp. He bit me—but nothing happened. It was painful, but nothing happened. It was then that the hunters showed up. Old Man Naqu was in charge of the attack. He took me and bandaged me up. He told me the vampire had tried to Turn me, but… it didn't work. He told me not to tell the others."

"Why?" Hiccup asked, before shaking his head, "No, I can guess why. It is probably for the best no one knew until you were old enough to protect yourself, given the hunters' sensibilities."

He stopped then, and frowned, turning to look at her. "Astrid…" he began. "I… I wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry. About what had happened to you."

She nodded slowly.

"I'm…" he paused. "Why did you think it was one of the Haddock Clan who had done it?"

She shrugged. "It was what Old Man Naqu told me," she answered. "He said he recognized him from a photograph in an apartment of someone from your clan."

"Well," Hiccup snorted. "That's not surprising. We always keep tabs on the other clans. Still, I'm relieved the vampire that did all that wasn't from my clan. To kill innocent humans like that… and to try to _Turn a child…_ " he shuddered.

They sat in silence for a short while, before Hiccup turned to look at her. He laid his hand on hers. It would have been comforting, she thought, had his hand been capable of a comforting warmth. But it was cold and icy in the frigid night air, colder still because he was a vampire.

He was a _vampire._

The realization hit her like a bucket of ice, just as it did all the other times she remembered he was not the safe, kind, gentle person she always took him to be. The realization that he was capable of being dangerous. Capable of hurting herself and others. As easily as breathing.

She lifted her hand up to knock his off of hers.

"Astrid…" he began.

"Hiccup," she interrupted. "Are we friends?"

He did not reply straight away, and when he did speak, there was a cautious note to his voice, as if he was speaking very carefully, and a little warily. "I had thought so," he answered.

"If you can't find food," she asked. "Would you be tempted to eat me?"

He took in a small breath, and she turned to look at him, and saw that his brows were furrowed and his mouth set in a taut line. "Astrid," he said, his voice carefully steady. "Astrid, I would never—I _will_ never do anything to you—I…" He looked away from her, clenching his fist. "After all this time you still don't trust me?"

"I do trust you," she said. "But I also don't. It's like… I _know_ that you're my friend, and that I'm safe with you, but I can't forget that you're a vampire. That you… have it in you to kill and—"

"And you don't?" he asked, turning to look at her. "Astrid, I saw you back there. You shot that vampire between the eyes like it was nothing. You didn't hesitate. You didn't even flinch. I may be a 'killing machine', but I would never be able to take a life like that without a hint of remorse."

She blinked. "That's different," she said.

"Why?" he demanded. "Because you kill vampires and vampires kill humans? How are those two things any different? How is one life worth more than another? How is _my_ life worth less than a human's?"

"That's—" she began, before glaring at him and continuing on. "Humans don't stand a chance against vampires—"

"Which is why _I_ don't drink their blood!" Hiccup exploded. "It's why I try my hardest not to take advantage of them or hurt them!"

"I never said you did!"

"But you _treat_ me like I do," Hiccup said, his voice deadly quiet. "You _treat_ me like I'm those vampires that prey on humans. Even though you know I'm nothing like them, even though you know I work my hardest to separate myself from them, would give _anything_ not to be considered the same as them, and you _still_ treat me just like you treat them. As if I am some mindless monster just waiting to be triggered into killing you and everyone else."

They glared at each other for a long while, before Astrid finally sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Hiccup sighed as well. "I am too," he said. "I suppose it's my fault, expecting you to be different than any other human. Hunter, I should say. I thought we had something special."

"We do," she said. "We do, Hiccup. It's just… after everything that's happened to me. After all I've been through and been taught… I can't just let it go so easily."

After a moment, Hiccup reached his hand out, and after a moment on her part, she gently took it in her own. They sat there, holding hands for a long while, until Hiccup spoke again. "I understand that. And… maybe when… _if…_ Fishlegs makes a cure, you can trust me more. Truly trust me. I just wish you could trust me now… regardless of me being a vampire. And not in spite of it."

She squeezed his hand. She turned to face him, wanting to speak what was on her mind—had been on her mind for longer than she knew how to admit, when a figure appeared in the entrance to the cave.

Hiccup and Astrid were on their feet in an instant.

Against the moonlight behind him, they could not see too clearly the features of the vampire. He took a step towards them, and spoke in a French accent. "Drago will be quite pleased I found both of you at once. Let us not make any trouble, eh? Come along quietly—" the vampire stopped talking when Astrid lifted her gun up, pointing at him. She was aware of Hiccup watching her carefully, glancing between the vampire and her.

She didn't know what to do. Should she shoot the vampire? Or should she spare him? He would not do the same for them, she knew. "Hiccup," she said, "Prepare to grab me."

Hiccup nodded.

Astrid fired the gun twice, hitting the vampire in both his legs, causing him to fall to his knees, howling in pain much like the other one had done. Hiccup grabbed her and dashed past the vampire before he had a chance to try to grab at them. They raced through the trees, when Astrid was aware that there were others following them.

"They must have followed us from the manor," Hiccup said. "Can you fire at any of them? Slow them down?"

"Right," she said.

She shifted in his arms, pointing the gun over his shoulder, narrowing her eyes as she tried to discern movement.

The gunshot echoed in the woods, the close proximity of her gun to Hiccup's ear causing him to grunt painfully. It hurt her too, and she knew her sense of hearing would lesson temporarily for a day or two. She heard something snap—a tree branch—but it seemed like she missed her target. How she wished she had her heat sensors! Another shot, and this time she heard someone yelp in pain. "Got him!" she shouted, causing Hiccup to wince again.

She shot another vampire, when Hiccup thundered to a stop, she turned around, and saw a mean looking vampire standing before them.

"It's a pity," the vampire spat. "She'd make a good soldier. Pity she can't be Turned."

Hiccup put her down, and she trained her gun on him. "I don't need to be a vampire to be able to kill you," she reminded him.

He shrugged, lifting up a gun of his own. The three of them stood there, until there was a slight flash above them, and the vampire dropped to the ground, dead.

Astrid and Hiccup looked at each other, before they heard the sound of a helicopter in the sky. They looked up, seeing one descending upon the clearing, stark against the moon.

Someone leapt out before the helicopter could land, and Hiccup and Astrid's eyes both opened wide.

"Camicazi!" Hiccup said, surprised.

"Yes, yes," the vampiress said. She was dressed in camouflage and black. "Get in, already!"

Hiccup and Astrid started forward, Camicazi just behind them, and climbed into the helicopter after them.

The sun was just rising as the helicopter rose into the sky, casting a hazy, greyish pink and orange glow in the air.

"Camicazi!" Hiccup said again, looking relieved and smiling at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we heard about the attack," Camicazi said, flashing him a grin. "We came to help anyone who might be needing help."

"That was fast," Hiccup said, frowning. "How'd you get here so fast?"

"We were already on our way," Camicazi shrugged. "We were coming to give your father some news—we were about an hour away when we received news that Drago and Dagur were planning an attack." She frowned, and then scowled. "Bloody bastards… waging war on Haddock property. They won't live to regret this."

"Well," Hiccup said, "I'm glad you're here."

"I see you're still here," Camicazi said, looking at Astrid. "But, if I'm not mistaken, you're quite a lot more special than I gave you credit for."

"How do you know about that?" Hiccup asked her.

"The Vein," Camicazi said. "Been entirely thrumming with the news. Plus I ran into Fishlegs in Boston. Man can't keep his mouth shut."

"Right," Hiccup said, nodding. "Where are you taking us?"

Camicazi took in a deep breath. "Wherever you think you'll be safe for a while. My girls and I have some work to do—this means war, you know, what Drago and Dagur did. So of course the Bogs will stand by the Haddocks."

"If a war is coming," Hiccup said. "Then you should take me to my father—"

"No," Camicazi interrupted. "Astrid needs to stay out of this. We can't let Dagur and Drago get their hands on her. If she is the key to a cure, they'll want to end her life. They don't _want_ there to be a cure. We— _you,_ Hiccup, have to keep her safe. And besides, it's not safe for you—"

"You're always doing that," Hiccup said, "You're always trying to protect me—"

"Well, you _are_ just a man—" she began, smirking slightly.

"I can fight just as well as you," Hiccup told her firmly.

"I know that," Camicazi agreed. "I entirely know that, Hiccup. And the time will come when you will have to. But I need Astrid to be somewhere safe and remote—and I need someone she trusts to be there with her."

Hiccup and Camicazi gazed at each other for a short while, before Hiccup nodded, relenting. He looked at Astrid, and said, "Where do you think we should go."

"I know just the place," Astrid said. "An old friend. Well, besides you, the closest thing I have to a friend."

"You mean," Hiccup began, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," Astrid grinned at him. "How do you feel about visiting Juan?"

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

Thanks so much for reading!

See you soon!


	14. Chapter 14

Juan was waiting at the landing strip when Astrid and Hiccup got off the small plane. Two Bogs got out after them, Jacobs and Tatiana. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Juan told Astrid as she walked up to him. He had a cold, steely look on his face. "And I didn't expect you to bring so many _friends_."

"Just three," Astrid told him, grinning all the while.

"Three too many," he answered.

"I know you're happy to see me," she replied brightly. She turned to look at Hiccup and the others, who were standing behind her with their things. "You remember Hiccup—"

"How could I forget?" Juan asked drily.

"And this is Jacobs and Tatiana," Astrid said, pointing them out. "Anyway, we need to hide out here."

"I heard about there being some kind of war with the vampires," Juan said. "I was hoping to stay out of it. I have no interest in vampire politics. Let them all kill each other and be done with it."

Astrid sighed. "If you let me explain—you'll realize why I need to stay here. In hiding, I mean. Somewhere safe."

After a moment of glaring at her, Juan sighed. "You and the male vampire can come inside. The two females have got to stay out here for now."

Hiccup turned and whispered something to Jacobs and Tatiana, and then followed Astrid and Juan across the lawn and into the cottage. They entered Juan's kitchen, which, while old fashioned to reflect that age and vintage of the house, was pristine and orderly, as Juan was tend to be. "So," Juan said, starting to make a sandwich, "Why _are_ you here? I thought you were going to drop the vampire off in Las Vegas."

"I was," Astrid said. "We ended up having to go to Los Angeles, and then from there we went to British Columbia. We were there when the war started."

"It's been going on for a long time, actually," Hiccup began.

"I don't care," Juan interrupted, not looking at him. He kept his brown eyes trained on Astrid. "Point is… why'd you come back _here_?"

"You said if I ever needed your help, you'd be there for me," Astrid reminded him.

"Aye, I said that," Juan agreed. "But I didn't expect you to cash in the favor with three vampires attached to the deal."

"I know, I know," Astrid sat against the kitchen table. "It's not a perfect situation, but it's the one I'm stuck with."

"So why _are_ you here? And why is _he_ here?" Juan asked.

"The vampires will want me," Astrid said. "It's…" she glanced at Hiccup, before looking back at Juan, who was watching her with a decided frown. "I've got some kind of biology they want."

"What does that mean?" Juan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Vampires are vampires because of a viral strain—something that sort of… _rapidly_ mutates our cells and changes our physiology. Astrid might be the key to reversing those effects."

Juan did not react to these words.

"What I mean is," Hiccup continued on hurriedly, "Astrid seems to be immune to the effects of the virus. She doesn't Turn—turn into a vampire, I mean, when vampires try."

Juan glanced at him, and glanced at Astrid, before staring down at the meticulously clean white tile floor. After a long, tense silence, he said, "I see. And that's why you're here."

"Yes," Astrid nodded. "Will you help us?"

"I'll give you a place to crash," he said. "And I'll give you a ride and supplies when you leave. But I won't be fighting no vampire wars."

"I wouldn't ask you to," she said. "Thank you, Juan."

He nodded, shrugging his shoulders. "You're exhausting, you know that?" he pushed himself off the counter and walked towards her, stopping just before her. "But I'm glad you're alright. I heard Joe went after you. Reeves and Kanata are still pissed. A lot of the hunters want your blood. If they show up, you won't have much chance at survival."

"Astrid has me, as well as Jacobs and Tatiana," Hiccup told Juan. "I think she'll be safe."

Juan shrugged again. He reached out and gently touched Astrid's arm. "I'm glad you're okay," he said gently, his expression softening. Something shone through the dark clouds of cynicism and hard life experiences. Suddenly, Astrid saw the Juan as he appeared in pictures when his family was still alive.

"Thanks," she said, just as quietly, although she knew Hiccup could hear them perfectly well.

"I'll get your rooms set up," Juan said. "I only have two spare rooms though."

"Oh, right," Astrid said. "Well…" She glanced at Hiccup, silently asking his advice.

"I'll sleep on the couch," he offered. "Jacobs and Tatiana won't object to staying in the same room, and Astrid can take the second bedroom."

"And how long with you four be staying here?" Juan asked.

"Until things blow over—or until Camicazi gives us the word that it's safe," Hiccup muttered this last part with some cynicism.

"Camicazi? _Ze Great_ Camicazi?" Juan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The very one," Hiccup said, with a much— _too_ —nonchalant a shrug of his shoulders.

"She's kind of a girlfriend of Hiccup's," Astrid told Juan.

"She's not my girlfriend," Hiccup muttered, but Juan was back to getting the sandwich finished. He put it on a plate and handed it to Astrid, who accepted it with an enthusiastic thanks.

"You and your friends can hunt in the woods," Juan told Hiccup. "Just stay away from the 'no hunting' areas, and farms."

"Right," Hiccup nodded.

"I'll go get the rooms ready," Juan said, turning and leaving the kitchen.

Astrid sat at the table, digging into the sandwich. Hiccup walked over and sat across from her. "This is will interesting," he said. "Think he'll trust me more this time around?"

"Nope," Astrid said through a large mouthful of bread, pastrami, lettuce and mustard. She swallowed. "He trusts you about as far as he can throw you."

Hiccup shrugged, looking a little worried.

"Still," Astrid said through another mouthful, "He'll get used to you. He knows that it's smart for vampires to be here, and he won't turn _me_ away. Especially since I'm a possible cure for vampires not existing anymore."

Hiccup nodded. He gave out a sigh, leaning back in his chair. After a long silence, in which Astrid nearly finished the sandwich, he said, "I can't believe I'm stuck here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know it's for a good cause but… I wish I could be useful."

"Trust me," Astrid said, finishing off her sandwich and getting up to rummage through the cupboard for something else. "I feel the same way. I'm a 'get my hands dirty' kind of girl. This waiting and hiding out is killing me."

"I wish there was a way to just bug out of here," Hiccup said. "I mean, a way without Jacobs and Tatiana finding out. They'll never let us leave without them—they'll never let us _leave_ , period. But never without them. And they won't let us go near the actual fighting. Camicazi gave them strict orders. She should have let me go, at least."

"She's worried about you," Astrid said. "That's not a bad thing. I grew up with no one being worried about me. Except Juan, of course, and maybe Old Man Naqu sometimes. It's nice to have a caring family and people who love you."

Hiccup nodded slowly.

Astrid sat down, reaching into a chip bag and popping a few into her mouth. "It'll be okay, Hiccup. I'm sure if things _don't_ blow over or get resolved… I promise, we'll find a way to fix things. Both of us, together."

"Together?" Hiccup looked at her in interest. "Astrid… I was wondering. If… If Fishlegs is able to find a cure. Really find it and it _works_ … and I become human again. Or at least, as human as I _can_ get… do you think you and I could…"

She blinked, pausing, and suddenly wishing her mouth wasn't full of chips. She chewed and swallowed quickly, and winced as she became all too aware she had swallowed premature.

"Right," Hiccup said hurriedly, misinterpreting her wince, "Stupid idea. As if you and I could—"

"I—" she cut herself off. "I mean, I'd like to, Hiccup. But with you being a vampire… and there might _not_ be a cure. It could be a crap shoot. I don't want to give either of us false hopes if it won't work out."

"Right," he repeated, staring morosely down at Toothless, who sat in his lap.

There was another long silence, before Hiccup said, "What's with Juan, anyway? Why is he so… tense and hateful of vampires? He's not a hunter that I know of. So what's his deal?"

"Oh," Astrid said, frowning. "It was…"

"You said you killed a vampire he had some beef with," Hiccup said. "What happened?"

"A vampire killed his family," Astrid said quietly.

"His family?" Hiccup frowned, before a sad look crossed his face. "Oh, those pictures—no wonder I don't see a husband or kids around. All three of them died?"

Astrid nodded. "His husband, Jackson, and their son and daughter, they were all killed by a vampire. His daughter would be about my age now, a little younger, maybe… that's probably why he's gotten attached to me."

"Is that why he… you know," Hiccup said. "Did—"

"Drugs?" a voice interrupted from the kitchen entrance.

Hiccup spun in his seat, looking over his shoulder at the figure. Astrid glanced between them worriedly. Juan was regarding Hiccup with a cool glance. "It's true," Juan said, stepping into the room and walking to the table, where he picked up Astrid's plate and took it to the sink. He began to wash it, his back to them. "I started using when Jackson, Mateo and Daisy died."

Hiccup and Astrid said nothing to that, only waited for whatever would come next.

"I lost my medical license, obviously," Juan continued, "And I was admitted to psych ward after psych ward. After all, people tend to think you're crazy if you yammer on about monsters that suck blood and kill people. Moved out here, eventually, so no one could bother me."

He paused, placing the plate on the drying rack. "I met Astrid—she killed the bastard who did it, and then… I was able to clean myself up. Resolution does wonders for the mind."

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said softly.

"No, you're not," Juan said. "If you were—if any vampire was, it wouldn't have been a young human girl who got him."

"I didn't know—"

"You didn't know about _this,"_ Juan interrupted him, "But I'm willing to bet my arms that you know of other fucked up shit vampires do." He turned, fixing Hiccup with a hard stare. "Even if you are cured, even if you become human again, you've got a long way to go before your lot can rectify the horrors you have inflicted on humans." He paused, glancing at Astrid. "Your rooms are ready. You can send for the female vampires. You," he glanced at Hiccup, "I've put a blanket and some pillows on the couch in the living room."

Hiccup nodded, standing. "I'll go get Jacobs and Tatiana."

He left without another word. Astrid waited until he was definitely gone, before she turned to look at Juan.

"Are you going to reprimand me and remind me to play nice?" he asked, raising a brow.

"No," she shook her head. "I agree with you."

"It'll be good though," Juan said thoughtfully, "If they can find a cure. To be able to get rid of vampires… in the most permanent way possible, besides death, of course, would be _immeasurable._ This could save a lot of lives. If it works."

"Well, we're not sure it _will_ work," Astrid said, standing. "Truth be told, it almost seems too good—too fantastical—to work. But we can only hope."

"We can only hope," Juan repeated. "I'll start supper. Why don't you go upstairs and rest."

"I can help," Astrid offered.

He glanced at her, before nodding. "Grab the sweet potatoes," he told her, nodding to the closet.

* * *

Astrid walked down the stairs, heading into the living room where Hiccup was watching TV. They had been at Juan's place for almost two weeks now, and there was little news of the front. At least, if there was any useful news, Jacobs and Tatiana kept it well under wraps. She sat down beside Hiccup, and he shifted slightly to make more room for her. "What do you want to watch?" he asked.

"Anything," she shrugged. "A cooking show."

He flipped through the channels, until he found something. She settled back in her seat, and after a moment, he did the same. "How much longer do you think we'll have to stay here?" she asked.

She was itching to get out of here—to go somewhere. Anywhere. She wanted to fight, and not sit here all day on her ass, doing _nothing._ And she was sure Hiccup felt the same way. "You've eaten recently," she told him.

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the TV. "It sucked," was all he said.

She couldn't help the snort that escaped her. She elbowed him slightly, and then leaned her head a little closer to his shoulder. Again, he shifted slightly, but this time it was _towards_ her, if only a fraction of an inch. "Have you heard from Fishlegs?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "He sends me texts every once in a while. I don't really understand them too much. He kind of gets frenzied when he's close to discovering something. I'm sure we'll know soon."

She gave an exasperated sigh. "I wish we could just… know for sure. If I'm not the 'key' to a cure, then I could be out there, doing some _good_ , instead of cooped up in here, getting soft."

He shrugged again. "Astrid," he said… "Do you regret meeting me?"

"What's brought this on?" she asked, turning her head to glance at him in surprise.

"I'm just curious," he said. "I feel like you and I haven't really… I mean, we've kind of talked about this but… not too deeply."

"True," she agreed. She looked back at the TV, using it as a medium in which to gather her thoughts. She hadn't told Hiccup yet… how she truly felt about him. She was sure he knew, on some level. He could probably sense how her pheromones kicked into gear whenever he was around. There was a time a few days ago when he came out of the bathroom shirtless. She was sure he could tell how much she wanted him at that moment. But she had never _come out and said it._ She hadn't really had a chance to. "I…" she said, hesitantly. "I'm not sure it'd be a smart idea to talk about it."

"Talk about it?" he frowned. "I just want to have a conversation about whether or not you regret helping me."

"It's complicated," she said. "It's not just about that, it's… there's other stuff too."

"What other stuff?"

The question was posed carefully, as if he was forcing himself to be casual and almost uninterested.

Her mouth fell into a thin line. Was it safe to tell him? While he was a vampire, nothing could happen between them. She wouldn't let it, not as things stood. What if she _wasn't_ the key to a cure? What if there _was_ no cure? What if Hiccup stayed a vampire forever?

She could never be with him.

Not while he was a vampire.

And it wasn't just the sex, although she didn't fancy having Hiccup drinking her blood. It was the thought of being in a _relationship_ with a vampire that bothered her more than anything else. However much Hiccup might try to act like a human, he was still different from her. He was still dangerous. He would live for essentially forever, while she would wither and die in a blink of his eye.

No, it would never work. If there wasn't a cure, it would never work between them.

Which was why she was not sure if she should mention it. If she did. If she confessed… would that not be opening the gate to questions and negotiations? And if there _wasn't_ a cure, would that not only make things awkward, but also cause heartbreak? For them _both_ to be aware of how close they were?

"How do you feel about _me?"_ she asked him, finally.

He glanced at her, this time with him in surprise. "I would have thought you'd know that by now."

"I think I do," she said. "But I want to hear it from you."

"I…" his face flushed, and then full on blushed at the intense look she gave him. "I like you. I mean, I… I like you."

"Like me? As a friend?" she prompted.

"As a…" he trailed off. "I don't make a habit of trying to kiss my friends."

"So you _like_ , like me," she said pointedly.

He was deep crimson in the face now. "Yes," he mumbled. "I do, I suppose."

"You 'suppose'?"

"Yes, I _do_ _like,_ like you," he said, a little louder.

She looked back at the TV.

"Do you… how do you feel about _me?"_ he asked, again posing the question as if he didn't care what her answer was. But she knew he did. How could he not?

"I can't answer that," was her answer.

He took his time in responding. "That's not fair," he finally said.

"Not fair?" she looked at him, quizzically.

"I told you how _I_ felt," he pointed out. "And you're holding back? What, afraid you'll hurt my feelings?"

"Don't you already know my feelings?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I haven't exactly been subtle about them."

"You being attracted to me isn't quite the same thing," he muttered, now turning his attention back to the show.

She heaved a sigh. "If… _if_ Fishlegs is successful. _If_ there's a cure…. _Then_ I'll tell you."

"That's not… there might not _be_ a cure," he pointed out.

"In which case I'll have saved us both some heartbreak," she answered shortly.

He stared at her for a long while, before a soft smile tugged at his lips. But then he frowned. "So, whether you like me or not, or have feelings for me or not, you won't pursue them while I'm a vampire?"

"I told you that before, didn't I?" she asked him.

"I know, I just…" he trailed off. "I mean, I get it. I really do. It still feels like a kick to the groin though."

She reached out and grasped his hand. "I can't see it being any other way, Hiccup."

He nodded, watching as she entwined her fingers with his. He turned to face her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her.

And then she realized _she_ was going to kiss _him._

They were a breath apart, when the window blasted to pieces, causing both of them to dive to the ground for cover.

"Come out, Bitch!" a loud, southern voice shouted from somewhere outside.

" _Reeves,"_ Astrid hissed, staring at Hiccup in horror.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

What will happen _now?_ You'll just have to wait and find out!

Thanks SO MUCH for reading! I really appreciate the reviews you guys send in, even if I sadly don't have time to reply to each person individually!

See you soon!


	15. Chapter 15

She could hear bullets hitting the side of the cottage as she raced up the stairs, keeping herself below the windows as she ascended. She reached her room, and grabbed her guns and holsters, attaching them to herself. She _knew_ it was only a matter of time before the hunters arrived. It was part of what made Hiccup wary of being here. Thankfully she and Hiccup were not alone. Jacobs and Tatiana would definitely prove useful… _if_ they got back from their trip to the nearby town in time.

"Astrid?!" Hiccup called up the stairs, before he yelped.

"Hiccup!" Astrid dashed out, forgetting to duck below the window, and was nearly hit when a bullet broke through the glass and barely missed her head. "Hiccup, are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" Hiccup said. "I'm going out there!"

"Wait!" she said, but he was gone by the time she got downstairs. She swore loudly, when a figure jumped through the window that was destroyed at the beginning of the attack, and rolled onto the ground, before quickly standing, pointing two guns at her. "Kanata," she said, giving him a winning smile, pointing her own guns at him.

"Astrid," he said slowly, narrowing black eyes at her. His long, silky black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and his clothes, leather like hunters tended to wear, had wears and tears typical of a man in his line of work. "Fancy meeting you here."

"As always, you are harbinger of good manners," she fired a shot, which he easily dodged.

He did not fire back at her, and she quickly realized he had no intention of killing her. No doubt the hunters wanted to bestow some punishment onto her that exceeded a simple bullet through the back of her skull.

He holstered his guns, and she quickly did the same, catching his wrist as he tried to punch her. She quickly twisted her arm, nearly flipping him over. Her victory didn't last for long. He landed on his feet, backing up and forcing her against the wall. The back of her head hit it with a nasty crunch.

Stunned, she nearly didn't move as he elbowed her in the gut. This forced her to recover quickly, and she hooked her foot around his ankle and tripped him. "Not such good manners after all," she said, taking out her gun and pointing it at his head.

He paused, not moving, eyeing her with an expression that told her he had no doubt she wouldn't pull the trigger.

She choked when someone grabbed her neck and threw her against the wall.

Reeves, to no one's surprise, was a much less courteous opponent.

He punched her hard in the gut, before taking out his knife and aiming for her stomach. She kicked him in the groin, and he winced, the hand holding the knife faltering just long enough for her to grab it and twist it, forcing him to drop the knife into her other hand.

She kicked him again in the groin, then quickly brought her boot up, catching him under the chin. He fell backwards, landing ungracefully on his back, coughing hard.

She quickly swooped up her dropped gun, and pointed one at Reeves, and one at Kanata. "Make _one_ move, and I fire," she said calmly. "After all, it's not like either of you have been that loyal to _me."_

"Loyal?" Kanata stood, his hand inching towards his gun. " _You're_ the one who helped a vampire."

"Apparently a criminal act," she replied.

"You know the code," Reeves spluttered.

"Yeah," she said, "I do. I also know the hunters code above that one. Every hunter for _themselves."_

She fired, aiming straight for Reeves' head, but before she did another gunshot was heard, and the gun flew out of her hand, causing the offending bullet to fly off course.

"Enough of that," a voice said from the door.

She looked up at stared at the withered face across the room.

"Old Man Naqu," she said, eyes wide, not believing that he was _here._ It was then that she realized the fighting outside had ceased.

"Astrid," Old Man Naqu said, looking more weary and ancient than he usually did. "We did not come here to kill you."

"Could have fooled me," she said, glaring at Reeves and Kanata.

"They just wanted payback," Old Man Naqu said with a dismissive wave of his hand, as if this justified the entire attack.

There was a rustle as figures passed through the destroyed window. Jacobs, Tatiana and Hiccup appeared in front of her. "Who are you?" Hiccup demanded.

"Easy, Champ," Jacobs grabbed Hiccup by the arm and pulled him behind her and Tatiana. "Who are you?" she asked Old Man Naqu.

"My name is Naqu," the old man said, gazing at her, looking rather unimpressed. "I have come here to deliver Astrid's punishment."

"Punishment?" Hiccup demanded. "What punishment?"

"The kind of punishment hunters see fit," Astrid said from behind him. "They're going to kill me, vampire style. Meaning they're going to shoot me and let me bleed dry, and then die."

"What?" Hiccup turned to stare at Old Man Naqu, horrified. "I thought you said you didn't come here to kill her?"

"Astrid is mistaken," Old Man Naqu sighed. "That is not the punishment we decided on."

"I think we should hold another vote," Reeves said hoarsely, standing up slowly and rubbing under his chin with a wince. "I still say we should kill her."

A few other hunters had milled into the room, and soon Juan was storming in after them. "Naqu," he growled. "What the _fuck_ have you done to my house?"

"Ah, Juan," Old Man Naqu patted Juan on the arm. "We'll pay for the damages."

Juan looked like he wanted to argue further, but Old Man Naqu just continued on. "Astrid," he said, gazing at Astrid with those dark, deep set eyes. "What have you to say to explain yourself?"

"Explain herself?" Reeves demanded. "This isn't a schoolyard, Naqu. This is _treason._ She deserves to die."

"You'll have to get through us first," Tatiana said, grinning at him as if she was itching for a fight. "I'd like to see you try."

He reached for his guns, but Old Man Naqu stopped him with a single word. "Reeves," the old man said. "I will have Astrid explain herself."

Reeves muttered something that only the vampires heard, which caused the two females to smirk.

"I… I don't really have an explanation," she said.

"No?" Old Man Naqu looked disappointed. "Are you sure? I am giving you a chance here, Astrid. Explain yourself, and you might give yourself an easier verdict."

Astrid looked around the room, letting her eyes land on Hiccup last. "I don't really know how to explain it, Naqu," she said quietly. "I just… couldn't bring myself to kill him. And as time went by, I couldn't more and more and soon I started… caring about him."

" _Caring?"_ Reeves scoffed. _"For a vampire?"_

"Reeves," Old Man Naqu said bitingly. "And why are there three vampires, one of which the one _you_ spent so much to protect, here with you?"

"Because they found out what you and I already know," she said. "That I'm immune to being turned into a vampire."

A stunned silence settled on the room.

"What?" Kanata asked, eyes wide. "How is that possible?"

"She's lying," Reeves spat. "It's impossible."

"It's not," Old Man Naqu said thoughtfully. "I know it to be true because I discovered it when we found her. What are the vampires planning on doing with you?"

"We're not 'planning' on doing _anything_ with her," Hiccup snapped. "Some of our own are seeing about making a cure."

"A cure?" Old Man Naqu frowned.

"A _cure?"_ Reeves now sounded like he was almost amused. "Now you really are pulling our legs. He's trying to buy himself time. Probably until reinforcements arrive."

"What would this cure do?" Old Man Naqu asked.

"Just what it sounds like," Hiccup replied. "It would reverse the effects of the VMP Virus, and hopefully turn us into humans again. Or at least, as human as possible."

Another stunned silence prevailed.

"That's impossible," a female hunter, Kalyani, said from behind Old Man Naqu. "If a cure was possible, how was it not discovered until now?"

"There's never been someone who was immune before," Hiccup said. "Not that we know of anyway."

"So that's why you're in hiding," Kanata said to Astrid.

She nodded. "They think the Bludvist and Berserker clan would want to get ahold of me. To kill me or whatever," she said. Finally, she pushed through Hiccup, Jacobs and Tatiana, and stood before them, facing Old Man Naqu and the others head on. "Right now, you have bigger fish to fry than punishing me. The major vampire clans of the US are right now waging war on each other. That means there's going to be countless who are caught in the crosshairs. The best way to _stop_ this war, and to _stop_ vampires once and for all, is to keep me alive." Reeves snorted in indignation here, but she continued, ignoring him. "Let me go, at least until a cure is either proven or disproven."

"Not happening," Reeves cut in. "I'm not letting you out of my sight—"

"Deal," Old Man Naqu said. "We'll let you be until we hear news."

"And if we never do?" Reeves demanded. "Might I remind you that the bitch broke our code?"

"If vampires are suddenly turning back into humans, we'll hear about it," Old Man Naqu reminded him. "And if a cure cannot be found, which we should know within a year, we can track her down and punish her properly. Does that sound fair to you?" he turned to face Astrid.

Hiccup opened his mouth to object, but Astrid nodded. "Sounds fair," she said.

She and Old Man Naqu shook hands.

As the old man turned to walk away, motioning for the others to follow him, Juan demanded, "What about my _house?"_

"I'll send money to repair it," Old Man Naqu replied.

"No you won't," Juan said. "Since when have you ever cared about paying your debts?!"

Soon all the hunters except Reeves and Kanata were gone.

"I'm going to get you, you little wench," Reeves told Astrid, his face dark with anger. "Trust me. I don't care _what_ Old Man Naqu promised. I'm going to put a bullet through your gut and watch you bleed out."

He turned and stalked from the room, Kanata following closely behind.

"Such pleasant people," Tatiana said, turning to look at Astrid.

"My house is absolutely trashed," Juan muttered, stepping closer to them to survey the damage. "This is going to cost a fortune."

"My family will cover the costs," Hiccup told him. "Don't worry about it."

"I _will_ worry about it!" Juan said, turning to look at him like he was crazy. "Do you know how old this house is? It was in near perfect condition. I made sure of it. And now look at it…. I'm going upstairs to see how bad it is up there." He disappeared up the steps.

When he left their sights, the four of them breathed.

"Shit got crazy for a bit there," Jacobs said, placing her hands on her hips. "But we should probably start cleaning up. Poor guy is going to have a heart attack when he sees the state of the upstairs bathroom. They had a bazooka."

* * *

It was a few days later that Astrid walked into the living room to find Hiccup staring at his phone. "What is it?" she asked, sitting down next to him. Out of respect for his privacy, she did _not_ peer over his shoulder and try to sneak a peek at his phone's screen. She decided to wait until he told her whatever it was.

"It's Snotlout," Hiccup said, frowning, and then showing her the text message.

 _Hey, Snotman here. Total fucking war going on in NYC. Shits getting real._

"What does _that_ mean?" Astrid asked, him, as he stuffed his phone in his pocket.

"It's a war," Hiccup said. "Which can only mean one thing. Humans are going to get hurt."

"In New York City?" she asked, frowning. She couldn't remember in her lifetime any _wars_ between vampires. "How serious is this?"

"Let's see…" Hiccup said. "Think World War I and II."

"That bad?"

"Literally," he said. "My clan may have been on the right side, but those wars were, in general, not vampires' classiest moments."

Astrid was dumbfounded. The idea that vampires were at least partially responsible for the World Wars was a little much to process. They must have covered up their part in it pretty well if no one, not even the hunters, knew about it.

"What am I going to do?" he asked. "If there's a war going on, I need to stop it. I need to make sure something big doesn't happen again."

"What do you want to do?" she asked him.

"I can go there—offer myself up."

"No," she said. "You're not doing that. _But_ you can go and fight."

He looked at her.

"I'm serious," she said. "You're a vampire—I'm _sure_ you can fight reasonably well. We'll go there, and we'll help fight."

"We?" he asked, staring at her in shock.

She nodded. "I've got nothing better to do," she shrugged.

He smiled softly, before nodding. "Okay. But Jacobs and Tatiana will never let us go. They are under strict orders from Camicazi not to let us leave here. And I don't have a plane of my own, do you?"

Astrid looked at Toothless, who was sitting in Hiccup's lap, watching them curiously. "No," she said, "But I know someone who does."

* * *

It was early in the morning when they left. Tatiana and Jacobs were in their bedroom, and Juan had told them he was going to fly to get something. They didn't care what _he_ did, so they didn't complain. Hiccup and Astrid made no mention that _they_ were leaving with him.

As Hiccup and Astrid buckled in, weapons, spare clothes, a large sum of cash, and some food in duffle bags and backpacks, Astrid almost thought they were going to get away with it.

"You better hope your vampire couple doesn't realize you're leaving with me before we take off," Juan shouted back to them over the din of the engines. "I don't fancy my plane getting shredded by an angry vamp."

Hiccup nodded, suddenly looking worried. He was anxious. He was anxious at what was going to happen when he went to New York and took part in the fighting. But he was more anxious about what would happen if he didn't.

They started down the runway, picking up speed as they went. Astrid looked out the window, and saw two figures speeding towards them, catching up to them quickly. "You better hurry the fuck up, Juan!" she shouted, "They're going to reach us soon!"

Juan swore, but the plane managed to lift into the air before Jacobs or Tatiana could reach them. They gained altitude, and Astrid looked out the window again, to see them standing on the runway, growing smaller and smaller as they rose in the air.

"They're going to be so pissed," Hiccup said. "They're going to come after us."

"That's fine," Astrid said. "By that time we'll already be in New York."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her. "It might be dangerous for you."

"I'm a _hunter_ , Hiccup," she told him. "I think I can handle myself."

"I know, but they'll be extra hard on you," he said.

"Why is that?" she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"You're the cure," he said. "They'll want you to do experiments on, or to kill you. Shit, Camicazi is going to blow a fucking _fuse_ when she finds I left Juan's."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Astrid said. "Don't worry. If it matters at all, _I_ think what we're doing is the right thing to do."

He smiled at her. "It matters a lot."

She smiled back, and turned her attention forward again. It would take a few hours to reach New York. They would have to stop partway and refuel, but Hiccup promised to pay for that. She just hoped they would get to New York before Jacobs and Tatiana were able to catch up to them.

They _were_ doing the right thing. This was Hiccup's mess. And it was _her_ mess, in a way, because she got all tangled up with him. He needed to clean it up, and she was going to help him.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

The plot thickens! Kind of…

Thanks so much for reading! Thanks for all the reviews you guys have been sending in!

See you soon!


	16. Chapter 16

Juan dropped one of the duffle bags at Astrid's feet. "Alright," he said. "You take that bus," he nodded in the direction of the small, sheltered, bus stop, "And you'll get into the city. I'll wait out here in case you need me."

"I don't think we will," Astrid told him. She smiled at him. "Thanks, for everything you've done for me, Juan."

He returned her smile, but it seemed somewhat forced. And then, she walked forward and hugged him. She knew he did not object, nay, perhaps even _enjoyed_ the hug, because he slowly wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. For a long moment, neither one of them let go. They finally did, reluctantly, and when she looked at his face, she was disappointed to find that he had his usual scowl there. "Don't get killed," he told her.

She smiled at him, but made no promises. "Let's go, Hiccup," she said. They entered the small waiting area, thankful to be out of the sun, and Hiccup sat down. "Are you ready for this?" she asked him.

Hiccup nodded. "I think so," he said. "I'm glad we left Toothless back at Juan's. If something happens to either of us, at least he's safe."

"And you're ready for… whatever happens?"

"I mean," he began, "I haven't fought in a war since 1944. I know this isn't as bad as that one, but it _could_ be. Vampires have a lot of influence in the world. You don't get as old as us without building up _some_ influence. If this gets out of hand…"

She sat beside him. She grabbed his hand, holding it tight. "It _won't_ ," she said firmly. "We'll stop it. Together. I promise."

He looked at her. "There's going to be a lot of damage," he said. "We might both die."

"I'm willing to risk that," she said. "I know that we might die. I know that we might not have any chance of getting out of this alive. But I'm willing to risk that. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't care what happens to me."

" _I_ do," Hiccup said, looking into her face earnestly. " _I_ care what happens to you."

"Because I'm 'the cure', right?" she joked.

He looked at her strangely, as if he couldn't quite understand what she was saying, and then leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Startled, she almost moved away from him, before realizing that she rather _liked_ this. That she had wanted him to do this since she realized, that last night at the Haddock Manor, that she liked him. That the only reason _she_ hadn't kissed _him_ on the lips was because it would have been stupid to do so. She knew he liked her—but he was still a vampire.

Reality hit her, as it always did, and she moved away from him slightly. But she was smiling. She couldn't keep herself from smiling.

The bus arrived, and they got up, hoisting up her backpacks and grabbing their duffle bags. They got on the bus, paid their fair, and found some seats by a door, in case they had to get off quickly. "We should find a hotel," she told him. "So that we can have a kind of 'base of operations'."

"Good idea," he replied. His cheeks were aflame, but it was that splotchy, uneven blushing that Astrid realized was typical of him. She rarely saw a vampire _blush,_ so she wasn't sure if it was _him_ or _vampires_ who had that trait. She suddenly wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to get to a hotel and…

She closed her mind to that thought.

Maybe after he's 'cured', they could do something. They could _really_ kiss, or maybe even sleep together, or—But for now, she would have to just wait. She refused to do anything with him that would put herself in danger. No matter how much she trusted him, she didn't trust him _that_ much.

* * *

They left their hotel quickly, heading down Melrose Ave to get to the subway. They were only mildly conspicuous. They had one duffle bag with them, filled with weapons they might need. Their plan was to get to where the Haddocks and Bogs were holding out—see if they can join the effort that way. Now that they were _here,_ Hiccup had said, his father and Camicazi couldn't object _too_ much.

"What happens if they try to send us away again?" she asked him.

"Then I'll make a scene," Hiccup replied. "Let the Berserkers and Bludvists know for sure that I'm here. They won't be able to do anything about it then."

"But what if—"

A car swerved onto the sidewalk in front of them. Hiccup, who sensed it before she did, grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her away, just in time for it to miss her.

Her heart was racing a mile a minute, and she found her legs almost shaky and weak with shock. She steadied herself quickly, removing her handgun from her jeans and pointing it at the car, waiting for someone to get out. Someone did get out, on the passenger side, and Astrid shot him in side, causing him to grunt in pain and drop down to the ground. She could hear yelps from across the street, as passerby's quickly ran for cover. On the other side of the car, the driver got out. He was a mean looking man, tall and lithe. "Miss Hofferson," he said, "Mr. Haddock. If you would come with us."

"You're one of the Bludvists," Hiccup said, pointing his own gun at him, "You think we'll go anywhere with _you?"_

The man looked at them with an unimpressed expression. "You will, because you'll be interested in where I'm taking you."

"Sightseeing?" Hiccup suggested.

Astrid felt like rolling her eyes. This wasn't the time to be sassy. "You have five minutes to get out of here," she told him. "We're not going anywhere with you."

The man turned his unimpressed eyes on her.

She shot him between them.

Hiccup gave a small yelp as the man fell to the ground. The man she had shot in the side started scrambling back inside the car, but she shot him in the face as well. She then ran to the door and opened it, peering inside. No one else was in there. "Get in," she told him. "This car is pretty fancy, I'm sure it has some kind of history that will tell us where it's been."

"Why do you want to know that?" Hiccup asked, as she got in the driver's side, and he got in her side, after they had stuffed the vampire's bodies in the trunk.

"Because," she said. "They probably _did_ have an interesting place to bring us, but I doubt they were going to _actually_ bring us there." She started pressing buttons on the flats screen, until she hit the history. "What about that place," she suggested, pointing to an address that she knew belonged to a hotel."

"That's…" Hiccup's eyes widened. It was one of the latest addresses the car had visited. "That's where vampires sometimes meet up—to discuss things."

"We'll head there, then," she said, backing off the sidewalk and heading down Melrose Ave towards the address listed.

* * *

"This is a stupid idea," Hiccup said, as they walked out of the parking garage and towards the entrance to the hotel. "They already know we're here."

"How can you tell?" she asked, but she didn't fight him on this. She was _sure_ all the vampires, if there were vampires in here, knew they were here.

She knew because a vampire appeared in front of the door before them.

She and Hiccup drew out their guns, and she dropped her duffle bag to the ground, so she could use both hands to grip her gun.

"Relax," the vampire said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just going to bring you somewhere."

"Oh?" Astrid asked, "And where's that?"

The vampire nodded over his shoulder.

"We don't have a choice, at this point," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Hiccup. "We can't fire in here—someone may get hurt. And there are security cameras."

"Right," he said, putting his gun away. She did the same, and picked up the duffle bag. They followed the vampire through the lobby and into an elevator. It was an awkward silence that settled in there, as they ascended many floors. When they got out onto the floor that Astrid presumed was their destination, she realized that there were vampires _everywhere._

They all stopped to stare at them as they walked out. Hiccup looked uneasy. He looked like a deer caught in a headlight. But he didn't look _scared._ He looked as if he recognized most of the people, and some of them weren't a threat. Some even smiled at him, friendly and confused. The vampire, who had not introduced himself, led them down a hall and into another room. Here, there were more vampires. Vampires _Astrid_ recognized.

"What the _hell_ are you two doing here?" Stoick demanded, glaring at them. He turned to look at Drago. "Did you bring them here?"

But Astrid wasn't paying attention to Stoick's biting questions. Neither did she pay attention to the annoyed, pissed look on Camicazi's face. Nor the fact that Dagur's body guards were trying to keep him back from walking over to them.

She was staring at _Drago._

She knew, for sure now, that there was no mistake. _He_ was the vampire that had tried to Turn her when she was a child. _He_ was the vampire that had killed her family. He looked at her, then his eyes widened ever so slightly. And then he smiled.

"Miss… _Hofferson_ , is it?" he asked. "Is it Ashley? Alice?"

She didn't reply. She didn't take the bait. She didn't want him to know _anything_ about her. Except that she was going to _kill_ him.

She reached for her gun, but the vampire that had led them there grabbed it from her, twisted her wrist painfully. She didn't let out a cry, and instead kicked him in the shins. This seemed to make little difference to him, and he walked away, after giving her a long look.

" _What_ are you two doing here?" Stoick asked again, his voice no less pissed than it was before.

"We… we came to help," Hiccup said.

Stoick looked like he was about to explode.

"Well," Gobber interjected. "We're talking things through now, at least. Hopefully you won't _need_ to help."

"I don't know about that," Drago said, still gazing at Astrid. "I will reconsider the terms of a peace arrangement."

Stoick looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Give me _her,_ " Drago said, nodding in Astrid's direction. "Astrid. And I will back off. I'll take the Berserkers and Bludvists out of this war."

"Speak for yourself," Dagur said, but was silenced by a look from Drago, who managed to tear his eyes away from Astrid.

" _Hell_ no," Hiccup said. "You're not taking her anywhere."

"Hiccup is right," Stoick said, "Astrid can't go with you."

"That is the only terms of my agreement," Drago said, looking at Stoick with cold, dark eyes.

"Enough with all this _shit,"_ Dagur said. "Heather, get Astrid."

Hiccup jumped at these words. He spun towards Dagur, as if just seeing him for the first time. Then he saw Heather, who was slowly walking towards them. His eyes widened. He paled considerably. He looked as though every drop of blood was drained from his body. He took in a deep, ragged breath. " _Heather?"_ he asked, sounding horrified.

She paused, a sad look crossing her face.

And then Astrid knew.

This was the young woman who had started everything. Dagur's prisoner _._ The person Hiccup had started all this trying to save. The one he thought _died._

"Heather!" Dagur barked. "Go, do it! Get the blonde bitch."

Heather took another step forward, but when Hiccup said her name again, she paused, a conflicted look on her face. She looked like she was in agony. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to leave that room and never see anyone in it ever again.

"Fine," Dagur stepped forward, pulling out a gun and walking towards Astrid.

"Wait!" Stoick said, putting up his hands to stop Dagur. "I'll… I'll give myself up, if you let Astrid and Hiccup leave here unharmed."

Everyone froze.

"Dad," Hiccup said, looking at his father, horrified. "I can't let you do that—"

"It's not up for debate," Stoick said. He turned to face Drago. "Will you let them go if I give myself up to you?"

Drago regarded him with a cool, calculating expression. Finally, he gave a short nod.

"Fuck _everything,"_ Dagur said, firing a shot into the floor. "Why does everything have to turn to _shit?"_

And then, because apparently his day had gone from bad to worse, Dagur lifted his gun and shot Stoick in the head.

* * *

In the chaos that ensued, Astrid thought they had gotten out of the hotel relatively easily. The only tricky part was getting away before they got caught in the cross fires or hit by a stray punch.

She had to practically drag Hiccup out of there.

By the time they made it to their hotel—they're own hotel—Hiccup was in a catatonic state. He sat on his bed, staring at the window with a blank look. He couldn't think straight. He barely moved. He just sat there, staring at the window, completely unresponsive and unexpressive.

Astrid paced the room, unsure of what to do.

Hiccup had been right.

It _had_ been a stupid idea.

And she couldn't help but feel responsible.

She finally stopped, turning to look at him. "Hiccup…" she began, the first thing she had said since she had shouted for him to _move_ when she first began to drag him away from Stoick back at the other hotel. "Hiccup, look at me."

He did, hazily, as if he couldn't see properly. "He's…" Hiccup began, his voice empty and soft. "He's…"

She walked over to him and sat down beside him. She put an arm around his back, and with her other hand she grasped his own. "Hiccup," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm so, so sorry."

He shook his head. He took in a breath, as if he wanted to speak, but instead gave a shuddered sigh. She pulled him into an embrace. Then they lay back, holding each other. He held her tightly. So tightly, she thought he would break her ribs. But she didn't complain. She didn't tell him to let go or hold her more gently. She just sat there, barely able to breathe, as they held each other.

She wished he could sleep, but he didn't. Vampires didn't sleep, after all. Not really. Not like humans. Unless it's after sex.

For a moment, she considered having sex with him, so that he would be able to sleep. But that was a stupid idea, so she pushed it out of her mind. After a long while, he finally loosened his grip of her, and spoke.

"I can't believe he's gone."

"I know," she whispered. "I know. It's almost impossible to think about."

He nodded against her throat.

"I know," she said again, holding him as tight against her as she could.

"I just thought…" and then he choked on his own words, and stopped speaking. He just lay there, letting her hold him.

She wanted to take the pain away from him. She wished she could take half his pain, even all of it, and put it into herself. She didn't want him to hurt anymore. But she knew she could not do that. He would hurt. She knew he would. Just like she did when she was a child.

They lay there for hours, until the early morning light, when Hiccup was ready to talk.

"He was always… my biggest supporter," Hiccup said. "I mean, later in life. Before I became a vampire but after I stopped being such a mess up. But he always loved me more than anything in the world."

Astrid nodded.

"I thought… I really did think he'd be around forever. I never thought I would have to go on without him."

"I know," she said. "It always feels that way."

He nodded.

"I'm here for you," she told him. "I'm here for you if you need me."

"I do need you," he said quietly.

He shifted slightly, barely, so he could look her in the face. He kissed her. But they separated before it could go too far, and Astrid stood up, leaving Hiccup lying on the bed.

Maybe she _would_ end up sleeping with Hiccup, before he became human again. Maybe she would throw cation to the wind and ignore all feelings of reason _._ She wanted to. She wanted to so badly she couldn't stand it. She wanted to be with him—forever.

Not as a vampire, but as a human.

She hoped that Fishlegs would find a cure for the virus soon. That Hiccup could become human again. That all this could end.

She started to realize that she was tired of this kind of life.

She wanted something different.

She wanted something _normal._

* * *

She woke when she heard him crying. It had been a few days since Stoick was killed. They had laid low in their hotel room, waiting for the right moment to leave. But for Astrid, it was to give Hiccup time to grieve. To pull himself together. She didn't know how long it would take. She sat up in her bed, and looked over at his own. Even in the darkness, she could tell he was shaking. In the moonlight, she could just make out his form, wrapped in the blankets, shuddering.

She slipped out of her bed and into his. She slid up to him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close. He turned quickly, burying his face her neck. She didn't care that this meant his mouth was near her throat. She just wanted to comfort him.

She kissed the top of his head. Slowly, he stopped crying, but she knew he wasn't asleep. They lay there for what seemed like an hour, until he moved slightly, rising up and looking into her eyes. Her own were adjusting to the moonlight, and she could almost see him clearly, and she knew he could see her much better than she could see him. And she knew what he wanted.

He kissed her. It wasn't like the times before. This was deep, longing and desperate. He kissed her roughly, with force that she wasn't used to from a human. He rolled on top of her, his hands gripping her tightly. So tightly, she was sure she would have bruises in the morning. But she didn't care. This felt _right._

Finally, he broke away from her. He looked down at her, a worried expression on his face. A questioning look. She nodded slowly.

He kissed her again, then sat up, removing his shirt. She removed her own tank top, and he got off of her so that they could remove the rest of their clothes. He slid between her legs and kissed her stomach, moving up her body. He stayed a while on her breasts, taking his time with them, before he reached her neck. She shivered, a cold bit of fear taking over her for a moment. He paused, hesitating.

Had she not wanted this so badly, had she not known that this is what Hiccup needed, she would have realized what a mistake this was. She would have realized what having sex with Hiccup would mean. What would happen. Instead, she grabbed him and pulled him towards her again, kissing him on the mouth.

She gasped as their bodies moved together, rhythmic and powerful, all thought escaping her mind. And when his teeth sank into her neck, and she felt him drink her blood, everything faded until she was no longer aware of anything except utter bliss.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

My quest to be finished with this story by the end of August is still kicking lmao. One more day. Two more chapters. I can doooo it…

Thanks so much for reading!

See you soon! (very soon!) ((hopefully))


	17. Chapter 17

She was comfortable. She felt relaxed. Far more relaxed than she had ever been. And yet she felt _unsettled_. The hazy comfort began to fade. She felt throbbing in her neck. She suddenly realized that she felt _weak._ Tired. Drained.

With a start, she remembered why.

She tried to sit up, but the pain in her neck and the weakness in her limbs made it difficult to do. She took a deep breath, before forcing her eyes to open. She stared at the grimy ceiling, and slowly stretched her neck despite the pain. There was some kind of bandaging on it.

She turned her head, testing out her necks mobility. She saw Hiccup sitting on his own bed. Did he move her? He must have been the one who bandaged her neck up.

"Hiccup," she murmured. Her voice sounded hoarse. She cleared her throat, and the action felt grating against the wound on her neck. "What happened?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He looked horrible. Physically, he looked well. He looked better than she had ever seen him. She figured it must have been drinking human blood. But he looked a wreck emotionally. He looked like he was going to be sick.

He looked like he had been.

"What happened?" she asked, forcing herself into a sitting position.

Hiccup rose suddenly, making a move towards her, as if to aide her, but stopped himself, taking a hasty step away from her back to his bed. She sat against the backboard of the bed, and closed her eyes. She touched her neck. She felt her blood quicken, panic rising in her.

He had drunk her blood.

He had _drunk her blood._

"I…" he began. His voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I'm—sorry."

"It's…" She couldn't say it was okay. She couldn't lie and say that she was pleased with the fact that the guy she liked had drunk her blood last night—something she feared almost beyond anything else. Something he had promised he would never do. But she wasn't _angry_ with him. She knew, in the midst of her desire that it would happen. Hiccup had told her plainly, the day they had met, that vampires drank blood when they had sex. By agreeing to have sex with him, she was agreeing to have her blood drunk.

She touched her neck again, and realized her arms were shaking. Was it because of blood loss? Or the horror finally settling in on her? Memories of Drago and Dagur mingled with the events of last night, poisoning it. "It's…" she said, her voice quavering slightly despite her efforts to control it, "It's not your fault."

"It is," he said. "We shouldn't have had sex."

She shook her head, and winced. "I was there, Hiccup. I wanted it as much as you wanted it. I consented to it. It's my fault too, if it's anyone's fault."

"But—" he looked down at his hands. "I feel so disgusted. When I came to my senses I—I had to make myself throw up. But it was too late," he gave a short, despondent laugh. "I had forgotten—" he cut himself off again.

"You had forgotten what?" she asked him.

"You're going to hate it," he muttered.

"Tell me," she said. She knew what it was he was going to say, but she wanted him to admit it out loud.

"It tasted good," he said, a tormented look violently taking over his face. " _Better_ than good. It had been so long since I had drunk human blood…. afterwards, I… I thought I had _killed_ you. And then I wanted to kill myself."

She watched him, not knowing what to say.

"If I had killed you, Astrid," he said, his voice faltering and hitching. "I don't know how I could have gone on liv—"

"Don't talk like that," she said sharply.

"I bandaged you up," he continued. "And I got some stuff for you to eat and drink, when you came to. I thought about bringing you to a hospital, but I didn't want to bring attention to us—or your bite marks."

"You didn't…" Astrid began, and stopped herself. Then she continued, voicing the worry that had come to her when she had woken. "You didn't try to Turn me, did you?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Of course not," he said vehemently. "That's different. I definitely didn't. And even if I did—and I definitely didn't—but even if I did, it didn't work. You're still as much of a human as you've always been."

She nodded. She let out a sigh, looking at the window. The sun was shining brightly.

"I'm so sorry, Astrid," he said, and she looked at him in surprise. His head was down, looking at the ground. His shoulders were shaking. She quickly swung her legs over the side of her bed, her bones and joints protesting, but Hiccup put up his hand to stop her. "Don't come over here," he said. "I don't want you to come too near me."

"Hiccup," she began.

"I'm… You were right, Astrid," he said. "You were right all along. I really _am_ a monster."

"Hiccup," she said. She forced herself to her feet, and Hiccup looked up at her, in shock and fear. She crossed the short distance between their beds, and sat beside him. "I don't blame you for this. I mean, yeah, it's not really how I wanted things to be, but… I…" she closed her eyes, wondering if she dared to say it. "I really like you, Hiccup. A lot. And I would have had sex with you eventually. Probably. Even if Fishlegs _couldn't_ find a cure. I will _never_ want to be a vampire, but I would want to be with you as long as I was young enough not to gross you out."

He gave out a laugh, and sniffled slightly, and then smiled at her. "If you dated me," he said, "I would want to date you until you had arthritis and dementia with your teeth falling out."

She laughed, and laid her head on his shoulders.

"I am sorry, though," he said. "That's the thing I hate most about being a vampire. When humans have sex with us, they're never prepared for the consequences. When _we_ have sex, it's like our autonomy gets taken away. We lose control of our actions."

"I know," she whispered. "Let's not do it again until you're human again."

He nodded. "We can kiss, though, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "We can kiss."

She lifted her head up, ready to kiss him, when he spoke again.

"I saw… this morning, when it was lighter… before I put your tank top and shorts back on… what Dagur did to you."

"What?" she asked.

"You still have scars," Hiccup said. "I mean, I saw when they bandaged you up, but… I had wanted to forget that he did that stuff to you. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Astrid said.

He shook his head. "None of this would have happened if I hadn't gotten you involved."

"I got myself involved," she said. Then, just when she was about to kiss him again, the door opened.

Astrid didn't have her gun on her—or even near her. A rookie mistake, she thought, as she sprang to her feet. How had Hiccup not sensed that someone was near their door? The answer was immediate. Camicazi stood in the entrance to the room, a key card in her hand. She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No," Hiccup stood quickly.

Camicazi glanced between them, and then glanced behind her to look at Gladys, who nodded, and stood in the hall. Camicazi entered the room, closing the door behind her. "Good," Camicazi said. She strode into the room, and glanced around. Then she gave Hiccup a long look, taking in his impossibly improved appearance, and then looked at the bandage around Astrid's neck. The corners of her lips turned downwards for a moment. _She knew,_ Astrid thought. _She knows what they did._

"I've given you some time to grieve," Camicazi said. "I've come here to tell you that we need to act fast. There was a short cease fire after… after… after Stoick's death," she finally said, her always pleasant and flirtatious demeanor dropping momentarily to reveal the pain Astrid realized she must be feeling. "But the Bludvists and Berserkers are amassing to do another attack. They want a complete takeover. We can't let that happen. They'll have too much control, and… humans will get caught in the crossfire. Four humans were killed the day you guys came, when the chaos ensued."

Astrid and Hiccup stood there, waiting for her to continue. Finally, when she said nothing, Hiccup began. "Dagur is too weak, and the Berserkers by extension, to do too much damage. His real strength comes from his association with Drago."

Camicazi nodded, hands behind her back. "We need to take Drago out of the picture. We need to decimate the Bludvists. That'll make taking care of the Berserkers a lot easier."

"We need to spare Heather," Hiccup said. "It's not her fault she's under Dagur's grip."

Astrid wasn't surprised. Hiccup talked briefly about Heather. How Dagur had a habit of Turning humans into his 'brothers and sisters', essentially slaves to do his bidding. He was non-traditional in his habit of having _dreyri._ He didn't sleep with them, he enslaved them.

"I can't make any promises," Camicazi said. "But I'll spread the word that, if she shows lowered aggression towards us after we take out Dagur, she should be spared."

Hiccup looked like he was going to argue with these terms, but seemed to decide against it. "What should we do?" he asked Camicazi.

"We'll have to kill both those sons-of-bitches," Camicazi said. "Dagur and Drago. We have to get to their headquarters here in New York."

"How will we do that?" Astrid asked. "I assumed it's going to be pretty heavily fortified."

"We'll need numbers," Camicazi said, "And a good plan."

"I think…" Astrid began, "I think I have a good idea. Of who can help us. Maybe."

"You're not suggesting," Hiccup said, turning to give her a wide-eyes horrified look.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," she said. She walked to the table beside her bed, and picked up her phone.

Then she dialed Old Man Naqu's number.

* * *

"I'm going to point my gun up your fucking—" Reeves was cut off by Gladys, who grabbed his arm and twisted it as easy as twisted a piece of twine. He gave out a growl, ripping his arm out of her grasp and rubbing it, glaring at her.

"We're not here to fight," Old Man Naqu said, walking into the large room.

There were an array of higher ups from the Haddocks and Bogs, and now the hunters as well.

"Can't say I'm glad you made it," Camicazi said. "But I suppose, if you behave yourselves, we could use you."

Reeves was still rubbing his arm, glaring at Gladys, and looking very much like he wanted to shoot everyone in the room. Kanata gave Astrid a small wink, and then stood beside Old Man Naqu, waiting for the first person to speak.

"Hiccup, Astrid, and I have come up with a plan," Camicazi said. "We think it'll work, as long as _most_ things go correctly."

"They should though," Hiccup said. "We've thought through every scenario. Well, most scenarios. Not _every_ scenario, of course. That would be—"

Astrid and Camicazi turned to give him a silencing look, and he promptly shut up.

"Well," Camicazi said, "If everyone is on the same page—we'll fight together, get along, till we defeat the Bludvists and the Berserkers, or until Fishlegs comes up with the cure and we can start bath bombing that in the water supply, we should get started. The three of us," she gestured to Hiccup and Astrid and herself, "Will explain how things are going to go down."

* * *

Camicazi hoisted the duffle bag up, walking across the street, looking from one side to the next. It didn't look like anyone was coming her way. The security guards at the building she was about to enter knew who she was, but that didn't matter. They weren't going to stop her. Not without cause. And she didn't give it to them. "Making a deposit," she told them with a flirtatious smile, as she entered the building. She looked around, at the people. Most were vampires. A lot were human civilians.

She took a few more steps, before reaching into her duffle bag, rummaging through the many wads of cash, until her hand gripped around the handle of her shotgun. She drew it out of the duffle bag, firing a round into the ceiling, making sure not to hit any humans.

"Drago!" she shouted, as she fired another round. The security guards at the doors, both vampires, ran towards her, but she turned, firing at them, and they dropped down. They were non-fatal shots, so neither died. "I'll keep firing until Drago comes out!"

It was then, that Drago came out of an elevator, and stood before her. She pointed her gun at him, keeping him in her sights. It would be a clean shot—messy, of course, there would be a lot of pieces of him all over the place—but it would be good. "Remember this?" she asked him. He knew she was talking about the gun. "You used it in 1944 to kill my boyfriend."

"I don't recall," Drago said.

She fired, just after a vampire crashed into from the side, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

One more chapter left! And then the story is finished! Whoohoo the end is in sight!

Thanks so much for reading!

See you soon!


	18. Chapter 18

Dagur paced the floor. The Bludvists headquarters were not to his liking. He liked things to look _dangerous_. Drago liked things to look business-like. Then again, he thought, the Bludvist clan was one of the richer vampire clans.

He stopped in surprise when he saw Drago enter the lobby, flanked by his guards and attendants, one of which had a figure slung over his shoulder. "Who the fuck—" he began, before he started cackling. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Queen Bitch. Are we going to kill her? _Please_ let me kill her—I want to see the look on Hiccup's face when I deliver her head to him on a silver platter—"

"We're not killing her," Drago said, giving him a silencing look. "Keep an eye out. I'll be interrogating her in my office."

"Fine, fine," Dagur put his hands up in defense. "Whatever you say."

Drago and his personnel, as well as the unconscious Camicazi, got onto his private elevator. Dagur continued to pace, wondering what the big deal was. Why was he stuck down here on glorified security detail while _Drago_ got to interrogate Camicazi?

Dagur _hated_ Camicazi.

 _He_ wanted to interrogate her.

"Sir?" the guard at the security desk motioned for him to walk over to them.

"What is it?" he snapped, walking over and peering at the screen of one of the computers.

"Two unidentifiable persons just entered the electrical room," the guard said. "I couldn't get a good look at them, but they're both blonde."

"What?" Dagur peered at the screen, curious, when the screen suddenly went dead. So did the other screens, and the lights. "What the fuck?" he said, straightening.

The guard stood, and rushed to the door, but it was secured shut. "The doors are programmable," he said. "Whoever those intruders were must have hijacked the system for the building."

"What the _fuck?"_ Dagur repeated. He was just about to continue on, to ask what they could possibly want with hijacking the building, when the door was blasted in, and vampires and humans alike began storming into the room.

* * *

In hindsight, Astrid thought, it was a good plan. Ruffnut and Tuffnut disguised themselves as workmen, got into the electrical room and hijacked the system. Like most modern business centers in the city, the building was automated and electronic.

More of the Bludvists and Berserkers were coming into the room, but the hunters and Bogs and Haddocks were spreading out throughout the building.

She breathed a sigh of relief, when someone hit her from behind. She let out a grunt and turned, landing on her back and pointing her gun at the figure. It was female vampire—Bludvist or Berserker, she didn't know.

The hulking form stamped the foot down on Astrid stomach, just as Astrid fired her gun.

The bullet grazed the vampire's cheek, but didn't hit anything major. Her stomach screamed in protest. She felt as though her organs were going to burst. She rolled to the side, using her leg to trip the vampire. It did little to nothing. She scrambled to her feet, shooting the vampire in the side. The vampire let out a cry, and the punched her hard in the shoulder, causing Astrid to spin around and fall to her knees. She rolled again as the vampire tried to kick her, just missed by a few inches.

Astrid lay on the ground, face down, gasping for air, knowing that any moment, the vampire would reach her and end her. Just before the last moment, Astrid rolled to her back, and shot the vampire in the face.

And then she spotted him.

Dagur.

He was fighting someone—some female vampire that Astird thought was called Rose. She aimed, and shot him in the leg.

Dagur let out a scream, and dropped to one knee, he turned to see her running up to him, his eyes growing wide for a moment, before she slammed her body into him, knocking him fully to the ground. He rolled so that he was on top of her, and knocked her gun out of the way. "Have been looking forward to this," he muttered in her ear, "Been thinking about you for a long time."

She flipped him off of her, grabbing her gun, and shot him in the gut.

He grunted painfully, and she stood up. "This time I'm not wounded," she said, kicking him in the face. He spluttered, spitting out two teeth, his mouth and nose bleeding profusely, let alone his abdomen and leg. She stepped up to him, pointing the gun down at his head. "Goodbye, motherfucker," she said, and was just about to fire, when she felt someone looking at her. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Hiccup standing there. He gave a short nod. She looked back at Dagur, and fired.

* * *

Camicazi opened her eyes, blearily looking around. Then she looked at the fancy, vintage clock behind Drago's desk. She smiled internally. By this time, Tuffnut and Ruffnut would have hijacked the system. The lights and electronics were on in this room, so as to not give Drago any indication that thirty floor down, a siege was taking place.

"I never counted you as foolish, Camicazi," Drago said, from his seat. "I never thought you would have done something so… _idiotic_."

"I guess you just didn't know me at all," she said.

"I am considering letting you go," he said, changing the subject. "Under a few conditions."

"Conditions?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I know that you are planning something. You wouldn't have revealed yourself in such a way had you not."

"Maybe I'm just bitter that you killed Eric," she said.

"He's not the first person I killed, nor the last," Drago said, leaning back in his seat. "But I do have a solution for both our problems."

"Problems?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Join me," he said. "The Bludvist Clan and the Bogs will join together and create a more powerful union than has ever been seen."

"What about the Berserker clan?" she asked.

He shrugged, smiling at her wryly. "I'm planning of disposing of Dagur eventually. He's essentially useless. He does more damage than good, such as the other day."

"So you want me to replace him?" she asked. "Doesn't sound like a good prospective to me."

"Together we will be strong," Drago told her. "Unstoppable. Soon the other clans will adhere to our rule."

Camicazi made a show of considering his offer, if only to buy some time. "I'm afraid that's a no-can-do," she said. "There's only one man worthy of my affections and loyalty— _and you killed his father."_

"Ah, but I didn't," he corrected. "Dagur did. I'll let you take the first blow, if you wish."

"He might have made the killing shot," she spat. "But you're the one who would have killed him eventually. If you think I'll _ever_ join you, you—"

She gasped as he was by her side in an instant, grabbing her throat and lifting her into the air as if she weighted nothing. "Then," he said, glaring into her face. "I'll just deal with you the way I deal with everything that is no longer useful to me."

Suddenly, the door to his office was knocked down. He dropped Camicazi in surprise, as Hiccup, Astrid, and a plethora of others walked in, guns aimed at his head.

* * *

Astrid watched as Drago calmly looked around at them. Hiccup stepped forward, grabbing Camicazi by the arm and lifting her to her feet. He didn't push her behind him, but they stood side-by-side, before Drago.

"I'm curious," Drago said, "How you managed to get a bunch of hunters to join forces with you."

He was looking at Kanata, Reeves and Old Man Naqu.

"Any chance to kill vampires," Reeves shrugged.

"The hunters know that the age of vampires is over," Hiccup said. "They're helping us complete that age."

Drago raised his eyebrows.

"The cure is almost complete," Hiccup said. "After that, there won't be any more vampires around. Not even you. Soon, there won't be a need for hunters. Or vampires."

Drago raised both eyebrows higher now. He scoffed, looking at Hiccup as if he were crazy. "What if I kill the girl," he asked, pointing at Astrid.

"Then we'll kill _you,"_ Camicazi answered. "We have you surrounded, Drago."

"And we have all your people surrounded," Hiccup said. "The entire building is fortified by us."

Drago nodded his head. "Bold move."

"It was actually surprisingly easy," Hiccup said, shrugging. "We just needed to keep you distracted. Then we—"

"Look," Camicazi said, "You don't have to explain the whole plan, just shoot him in the head."

"I wasn't _explaining the whole plan,"_ Hiccup snapped. "Can't I have _one_ good last line? Or did you forget that time we—"

Astrid cleared her throat, and both of them looked at her, before sheepishly turning back to Drago.

"So, you're going to kill me now?" Drago asked, looking at them skeptically.

Hiccup smiled, slowly, a sickly satisfied look on his face. "No, in fact," he said. "You know that little thing about Astrid being immune? Turns out our guys were able to do something with that." His smile widened, "And I know the perfect first test subject."

Drago's eyes widened, as Tatiana and Jacobs walked up to him, handcuffing him and forcing him to his knees.

* * *

"These prisons are made for vampires," Hiccup told Astrid. They were in the Haddocks' headquarters in New York. "Normal prison cells can sometimes be escaped from by fully fed vampires. These… not so much."

Fishlegs stepped into the cell, flanked by Tatiana and Jacobs. "This may hurt a little," he said. "And you may die."

Toothless purred slightly from Hiccup's shoulder. He was watching in interest. "I know, Bud," Hiccup said softly. "I'm excited for this too."

Drago tried to move away from Fishlegs, but Tatiana and Jacobs held him firmly in place. Fishlegs injected Drago with the serum, and then the three of them quickly left the cell. The door was locked, and they watched to see any signs of it working.

Drago sat there, and nothing happened, until suddenly he began to convulse. He started screaming, and then his mouth clamped shut in pain and he fell to his side, shaking and shuddering, until finally, he lays still.

After a long, stunned silence, Fishlegs reentered the cell, and touched his cheek. Before he could make his assessment, Astrid lifted goggles to her eyes and turned on the heat sensors.

"It worked," she breathed, the moment Fishlegs shouted, "It worked!"

Everyone in the room breathed in relief. Some began whooping—others, crying, and others, laughing. Astrid found herself pulled into an embrace by Tatiana and Jacobs.

Fishlegs came out of the cell. "He's in critical condition," he said. "We'll need to bring him to a hospital."

"Send word to a hospital with a vampire employees," Hiccup said. "They'll have a better idea of how to treat him."

"Right," Fishlegs said, nodding his head in agreement. He took out his cellphone and dialed the number, walking off to explain things.

Hiccup sighs. "What is it?" Astrid asked, finally having gotten free of the two vampires that had been hugging her tightly. She walked up to him, placing a hand on his arm.

"The time for vampires are over," he said. "Our curse is finished."

"Not all vampires will consent to change back," Camicazi reminded him.

"True," Hiccup agreed. "But we'll make sure it's highly encouraged. At least anyone Turned against their will will have a chance to go back to the way they were."

"A lot of the Bludvists and Berserkers are already volunteering for the serum," Gladys told them. "I think it'll only be outliers that reject it."

"We can pool our money to offer incentives to the rest," Hiccup suggested.

"I want it, the cure," someone said from behind them.

Hiccup and Astrid turned to see Heather standing before them.

"Of course," Hiccup said, and then he hugged her. He spoke to her, but Astrid couldn't hear what he said. Then he and Heather separated, and she turned to Astrid.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for Dagur's attacks on you—and for what he did to you."

Astrid said nothing. "I killed him," she said.

Heather smiled. "I know."

She walked off, leaving Astrid and the rest alone.

"Can we trust her?" she asked Hiccup.

"I think so, at least," he said, nodding.

"We'll have to hold those of the Bludvists and Berserkers that are still loyal to Drago and Dagur," Camicazi said. "Make sure they don't try to do anything underhanded."

"Good idea," Hiccup said.

"Well," Camicazi said, stretching. "What a day. A lot of people are signing up for the cure. _I_ probably won't be one of them," she laughed. Then she sobered. "But I probably will."

She walked up to Astrid and Hiccup. "I'm happy to have known you, Hiccup. I'm happy to have known you for over a thousand years."

Hiccup smiled. She reached out for his hand, and he gave it to her. She squeezed it. "I hope you two can make things work, once you're human again," she said. She turned to follow Gladys from the room, "And if you're ever single at the crotchety old age of sixty or older, I'll be available, probably. Fake hips and all," she added with a wink. She then left with Gladys to oversee transitions.

The room was almost empty now. Most people had left, bringing the catatonic, unconscious form of Drago with them.

"Well?" Astrid asked, looking at him, "Looks like I might have a claim on you until you're sixty."

"Much longer than that, hopefully," Hiccup said, gathering her into his arms and kissing her.

"Hey, Kid," someone said.

Astrid broke apart from Hiccup to see Reeves and Kanata walk up to them.

"Yeah, Reeves?" she asked, unsure of what the man's intentions were.

Reeves hesitated for a moment, looking clearly reluctant. Kanata elbowed in him the side. "You did good," Reeves finally muttered. "This whole… 'cure' thing… it's gonna' be good."

"Since my pal and I will be out of a job," Kanata said, "Perhaps we can call a truce?"

Astrid raised her eyebrows. Then she smirked. "Fine," she said, offering out her hand. Kanata shook it. Reeves stand at her outstretched hand, before finally, reluctantly, shaking it as well.

"See you around, Kid," he said. He turned and quickly left.

Kanata smiled knowingly at Astrid and nodded his head in goodbye, and followed Reeves out of the room.

Astrid turned to look at Hiccup, raising her eyebrows in mock shock. Then she kissed him again.

* * *

Astrid watched as Hiccup opened his eyes. They were glossy and bleary, and as he looked around, it was clear he was confused. For a moment, he seemed not to realize why he was in a hospital bed, in a hospital room. He finally looked at her, and the look of confusion on his face disappeared. He smiled softly at her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

He frowned, opening his mouth, and then frowning again. He looked around once more, gathering his thoughts. Then he looked down at his hands and body, though most of it was covered in a blanket. "I feel…" he said, his voice somewhat raspy and coarse, due to having had a tube down his throat. "I feel… different. It feels… good." He looked at her again, smiling wider. "I feel _normal._ I mean I feel like shit. But it's a good kind of feeling like shit. _"_

She returned her smile. Big and wide and excited. "That's good," she said. Then she leaned down and opened her backpack. "Cause I've got some things for you."

She began unpacking items from the backpack onto the bed. Chips. Crackers. Cheese. Cookies. Sodas. Juices. A bunch of stuff. Hiccup laughs as she put the last few items before him.

"How much do you expect me to eat?" he asked.

"Well," she shrugged, grinning at him. "I want to be present when you try eating food again. And I wanted to see you try a bunch of stuff."

He grinned back at her, reaching for a bag of chips. "You know, I never was able to really taste these. Ever."

"Exactly," she said, walking to the other side of the bed and sliding in beside him. "You can't leave the hospital for a while, but that doesn't mean we can't have our first date."

He raised his eyebrows. "Some date," he said.

"Hey," she shook her head. "For me? This is a _perfect_ date."

She grabbed the bag form him and opened it, offering it to him. He took a chip, and sniffed it, smiling. He was just about to put it in his mouth, when she spoke, stopping him. "How does it feel to be so close to me?"

He looked at her in surprise.

"It feels… amazing," he said. "To be with you, _and_ to be human again."

He kissed her.

"Now," she said, as they separated. "Eat the fucking chip. And then describe every feeling and emotion and sensation that comes to you."

"As you wish," he said, sending her one last smile, before putting the chip in his mouth.

* * *

 **THE END**

Thank you so much for reading this story! I'm so happy you stuck with me until the end :)


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